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BY BOAT AND RAIL 



JOHN R. EVERHART, M.D. 


^orVRio^#;. 

>M 3 1892 



/ 


G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS 

NEW YORK LONDON 

27 West Twenty-third St. 24 Bedford St., Strand 

®;'^e lAmckerbotiur |lrtss 
1892 


0 


COPYRIGHT, 1891 
BY 

JOHN R. EVERHART 


Printed and Bound by 
Ube Iknicbcrbocbcr iprcss, mew JlJorb 
G. P. Putnam’s Sons 






TO 


R. J. BAILY, M.D. 

'WHO HAS BEEN MY COMPANION ON MANY A LONG JOURNEY 
THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY 
DEDICATED 




1 








CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Arrival in Glasgow—Custom-House Officials— 
Loch Lomond—Loch Katrine .... 1-4 

CHAPTER IT. 

Edinburgh—Holyrood Palace—Edinburgh Castle 
—Scott’s Monument—The Breweries . . . 5-8 

CHAPTER III. 

Melrose Abbey—Abbotsford— The Highlands— 

The Stock—Into England .... 9-12 

CHAPTER IV. 

London—St. Paul’s—The Tower—The Poor— 
Characteristics of the English People—The 
Cockney—The Women. 13-19 

CHAPTER V. 

In France — The Peasantry — Paris and her 
People—The Rag-Picker and the Rat-Catcher. 20-26 

CHAPTER VI. 

Paris—The Amusements—The Morgue—The Hospi¬ 
tals AND Sisters of Charity—The Guillotine, 27-31 

CHAPTER VII. 

Paris—The French Military—The Emperor— His 
Popularity and Decline — French Politeness. 32-37 


V 



VI 


Co7ttents. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

PAGE 

Paris—The Tuileries—Hotel des Invalides—La¬ 
fayette’s Grave. 38-41 


CHAPTER IX. 

Spain— A Backward Country—Valladolid—Ma¬ 
drid—The Royal Stables—The Escurial . 42-46 

CHAPTER X. 

Spain—Zaragoza ; its Heroic Defence—Barcelona 
—The First Steamboat—The Spanish People. 47-52 

CHAPTER XI. 

Algiers—Its Antiquity and Pirates—The Cus¬ 
toms OF THE People—The French Masters— 

The Products. 53-57 


CHAPTER XII. 

Marseilles—The Chateau d’If—Monte Carlo-; 

ITS Famous Casino—The Carnival at Nice. 58-63 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Genoa—Its Palaces and Heroic Siege by Massena 
—Pisa and the Leaning Tower . . . 64-67 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Naples and its Historical Places—Mt. Vesuvius 
—Pompeii and Herculaneum—The Tomb of Vir¬ 
gil—Image-Making. 68-75 

CHAPTER XV. 

Rome—Its Churches, Tombs, Relics—The Pope— 

The Improved Condition of the City—The 
Peasants—Curious Customs .... 76-83 


Contents. 


Vll 


CHAPTER XVI. 

PAGE 

Florence—Its Beautiful Statuary—Bologna and 
THE University—The Clover—Mantua and its 
Moats.84-87 


CHAPTER XVII. 

Venice—Its Streets of Water—The Rialto and 
St. Mark’s—Bead-Making—The Bronze Horses 
OF St. Mark’s.88-92 


CHAPTER XVHI. 

Austria—Trieste and its Mixed Population—Vi¬ 
enna—The Imperial Coach House—The Relics 
IN THE Museum—The SchOnbrunn—Napoleon I. 

AND THE King of Rome. 93-96 

. CHAPTER XIX. 

From Vienna to Berlin—Prague and its Universi¬ 
ty—Dresden and its Relics—Berlin— No Igno¬ 
rance AND All Soldiers—Excellent Sanitary 
Laws ........ 97-99 


CHAPTER XX. 

Leipsic — The Famous “Battle of Nations’’ 
Fought on its Plains—The Dungeons of Ratis- 
BON —Milan to Turin—Through the Mt. Cenis 
Tunnel.100-103 


CHAPTER XXL 

Geneva, the City of Refuge for Knox and Cal¬ 
vin— No Beggars Allowed—Vevay and Lau¬ 
sanne . 104-106 


CHAPTER XXII. 

Mt. Blanc—The Mer-de-Glace ; its Grandeur— 
Berne ; its Origin—The Bear-Pit . . 107-109 






Vlll 


Contents. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

PAGE 

In England Again—Chester and its Sights— 
Across the Irish Sea to Belfast—Dublin and 
ITS Castle — Heroic Monuments — Park and 
Brewery.110-117 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

Cork—Old Kinsale and its Dangerous Rock 
— The Lakes of Killarney — Homeward 
Bound.118-121 


CHAPTER XXV. 

To California—Salt Lake City—The Mormons— 

The Tabernacle, the Temple, and the Tithing 
House—Salt Lake.122-126 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

En Route for Yosemite Valley—Its Wonderful 
Peaks and Waterfalls—Curious Custom of the 
Indians—Big Trees of Calaveras . . 127-132 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

San Francisco—The Famous Lick Observatory— 

The Chinese—Off for Panama—Calls at Mexi¬ 
can Ports—Panama—The Pirate Morgan—Back 
to New York.133-138 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Again across the Continent—Denver—Veta Pass 
AND TtiE Mule Shoe—Santa Fe—Southern Pa¬ 
cific Route— “ King of the Cow-Boys”—Tucson 
AND Yuma. 139-145 



Contents. 


IX 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

PAGE 

Los Angeles—Santa Monica—Monterey—Santa 
Clara Valley—Again in San Francisco . 146-149 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Prince Edward Island—Sharp Burglars—Trout 
AND Mackerel Fishing — White Mountains — 
Summit of Mt. Washington .... 150-154 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Quebec, the Gibraltar of America—The Falls 
OF Montmorency — Montreal — The Thousand 

' Islands—The Canadian Pacific Railroad—Vic¬ 
toria—Vancouver Island .... 155-162 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

From Victoria to Alaska—Fort Wrangell—Chil- 
KAHT Inlet—The Muir Glacier—Sitka—Curious 
Customs of the Indians — The Return — The 
Fourth of July at Fort Wrangell—Victoria 
AND San Francisco.163-173 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

From San Francisco to Portland, Oregon — A 
Stage Ride — The Sacramento Valley — Along 
Columbia River to Walla Walla and to Spo¬ 
kane—Into the National Park ; its Geysers, 
Cascades, and Mountains—From the Park to 
THE Great Lakes—The Famous “Sault” to 
Niagara.174-179 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Jacksonville, Florida — The Bahama Islands — 
Nassau—Reminiscences of “ Blackbeard ” . 180-189 



X 


Conte7its. 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

PAGE 

Havana—Its Attractions—Story of the Pirate 
Marti — The Volante — Cows Milked at the 
Door.190-193 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Matanzas—Caves of Bellamar—Return to Ha¬ 
vana—Departure—Off for Mexico—Progresso, 
Yucatan—Vera Cruz—From the Coast to the 
City of Mexico.194-200 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

City of Mexico—The National Drink—Supersti¬ 
tion OF the People—The Old Aqueduct—Relics 
OF THE Aztecs and Toltecs—Habits of the 
People—Chapultepec— A Bull-Fight . . 201-209 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Up the Mississippi—New Orleans— A Flood in the 
“Father of Waters”.210-212 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Bound for South America — St. Thomas — The 
Amazon—Para—Pernambuco and Bahia—Their 
Exports and Customs.213-220 

CHAPTER XL. 

Rio Janeiro—Its Beautiful Harbor—Its Streets 
AND Squares—Curious Shops—Petropolis—Cof¬ 
fee Growing and Mode of Transportation— 
Stingless Bees.221-227 

CHAPTER XLI. 

The Bermuda Islands—The Trees and Birds— 
Manner of House Building—Scarcity of Water 
—Places of Note—The Dockyards—Homeward 
Bound and Storm at Sea .... 228-233 



BY BOAT AND RAIL. 


CHAPTER I. 

HE first indication to the traveller of his 



X approach to the shores of the Old World 
is the appearance of a long smoky line in the 
distance, which to the untrained eye resembles 
a cloud. A surer sign, however, is the trans¬ 
formation of the passengers from their old to 
their new clothing; also, the rapid removal of 
contraband articles from trunks to places of 
greater security. The lover of tobacco steps 
ashore with his boots, hat, and mouth crammed 
with the popular narcotic. 

As our vessel steamed up the narrow Clyde 
to Glasgow through a fleet of boats, the pas¬ 
sengers rejoiced that the monotonous ocean 
had been traversed; while the race-horses on 
board, bruised and sickened by the voyage, 



2 


By Boat and Rail, 


neighed at the sight of the green hills and fresh 
clover of Scotland. These unfortunate animals, 
as the result showed, made better sailors than 
runners at the Derby, for they retained their 
sea-legs even on the turf. 

At the custom-house the officials were polite 
and often convivial, even permitting you to 
smell the aroma of your own cigars while they 
smoked them. Landing safely at Glasgow, and 
pushing our way through the multitude of 
drays and cabs which lined the wharf, we at 
last arrived at the hotel, and, shaking hands 
with a dandy waiter, whom we mistook for the 
proprietor, we were shown to a room for which 
five dollars a day was charged, which had the 
effect of leading one to think that his entertain¬ 
ment would be luxurious, but his departure 
sudden. 

The straight streets, the tall, granite houses, 
without window-shutters, the factories with the 
tallest chimneys in the world—one of which is 
four hundred and thirty feet high,—the hum of 
trade, and the rapid movement of the people 
indicate that Glasgow is a commercial city. 
In population it ranks third in the United 
Kingdom. 



By Boat and Rail, 


3 


It is one of the greatest shipbuilding ports 
in the world. Here in the early years of the 
present century the first steamboat was built. 
To-day the Clyde vessels can be seen in nearly 
every harbor, and sailing upon all navigable 
waters. In this city the printing of calicoes 
and steam spinning machinery were first intro¬ 
duced. 

Leaving the dust and smoke of the town for 
the more genial air of the country, we went to 
Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Scotland. It 
is a beautiful body of water, dotted with a 
number of picturesque islands. The shore is 
precipitous, from which rivulets tumble into 
the placid lake; while here and there are 
green vales, on which shepherds and their dogs 
watch browsing flocks. 

Towering above the loch, in majestic 
grandeur, is Ben Lomond, thirty-two hundred 
feet high. We tramped through the tangled 
grass, over sharp stones, scaring the hare from 
the heather, and climbing the mountain until 
the hawk circled below. In the distance were 
seen the Atlantic Ocean, the Highlands pen¬ 
cilled against the sky, and far to the east lay 
Edinburgh. 



4 


By Boat and Rail, 


Loch Katrine, the scene of the Lady of the 
Lake^ is separated from Loch Lomond by a 
glen. This glen was the home and haunt of 
Rob Roy, and his cave is still pointed out. 
Loch Katrine is the most famous lake in Scot¬ 
land, and is the source of the water supply of 
Glasgow, twenty-five miles distant. From 
Glasgow we went to Edinburgh, through an 
attractive and agricultural country— 

“ With herds the pastures thronged, 

With flocks the hills.” 


CHAPTER II. 


E dinburgh, which Ben Jonson rec¬ 
ognized by its odor, when he said— 

“ Sweet Edinburgh, I smell thee now,” 

has undergone considerable change in the way 
of purification since his time ; yet it still savors 
of its ancient quality, for, 

‘ ‘ Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled— 
You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will. 

But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.” 

This city, surrounded by fortified hills, and 
abounding in rich architectural monuments, 
stands eminent as a seat of science and learn¬ 
ing among the cities of the world. The 
stranger is surprised at the striking difference 
between the old town and the new ; the former 
with its houses twelve and thirteen stories 
high, black with the smoke of centuries, with 
its narrow closes like burrows, is filled with the 
poor ; while the latter is distinguished by 
its fine houses and wide streets, thronged with 


5 




6 


By Boat and Rail, 

trade and fashion. Here can be seen the High¬ 
lander, with his tartan plaid and bagpipe, 
proud of his national costume and his dis¬ 
cordant music. 

The city is filled with curiosities and histori¬ 
cal associations. In Holyrood Palace, which 
was the ancient residence of the Scottish kings 
and queens, the visitor is shown the bed¬ 
chamber of the beautiful but unfortunate Mary 
Queen of Scots, which remains as it was when 
she occupied it. The blood of the ill-fated 
Rizzio still stains the floor, and the bed of 
Charles I. reminds one of that fated king. 
The immense galleries are lined with the por¬ 
traits of the one hundred and six kings of 
Scotland, and the bones of some of them are 
mouldering in the vaults of the chapel. 

The Cathedral of St. Giles is a venerable 
structure, at one time having forty altars within 
its walls. In the cemetery adjoining are the 
ashes of John Knox, the ecclesiastical reformer. 
His house still stands, with this inscription 
over the door, “ Love thy neighbor as thy¬ 
self.” 

Edinburgh Castle, next to Holyrood, is the 
most prominent and interesting place in the 


By Boat and Rail, 


7 


city. Here may be seen portions of that 
enormous piece of ordnance, called “ Mons 
Meg,” made by a country blacksmith, assisted 
by his wife, who blew the bellows. This gun 
was made in i486, the bore being twenty inches 
in diameter. In the castle are preserved the 
ancient crown, the sword of state, and other 
regalia of Scotland. 

In proximity to the castle is the museum, in 
which is the skeleton of the murderer Burke, 
who strangled about a score of persons merely 
for the purpose of selling their bodies. 

Near the city is Arthur’s Seat, a hill eight hun¬ 
dred feet high, named in honor of King Arthur. 
The upper portion of the hill is formed of 
columns of basalt, which are called “Samson’s 
Ribs.” From the summit of this elevation 
there is presented a magnificent panorama of 
the surrounding country. 

On Prince’s Street is a monument to the 
memory of Sir Walter Scott, a beautiful tribute 
by a native artist, and built like a steeple rest¬ 
ing upon the ground. On top of Calton Hill 
is a monument of Lord Nelson. 

Edinburgh, the “ Hub of Scotland,” contains 
a university, founded over three hundred years 


8 


By Boat and Rail. 

ago, celebrated both in the United Kingdom 
and abroad. Here can be pursued a full uni¬ 
versity course, either of theology, medicine, 
and law, or the arts and sciences. The library 
contains over one hundred and fifty thousand 
volumes. There is also a complete anatomical 
museum and a botanical garden attached to 
the university. 

The “ new town ” is connected with the old 
by Dean Bridge, which spans the river Leith. 
It is one hundred feet above the stream, and 
nearly the same in length. One of the oldest 
industries of the city is that of ale and beer 
brewing. There are thirty breweries, which 
consume annually nearly a million bushels of 
malt. The Scotch are economical and penuri¬ 
ous, and Jews are scarce, because they cannot 
compete with them in driving a bargain. 


CHAPTER III. 


A RIDE of a half hour on the cars brings 
you to Melrose Abbey, where the guide 
will explain the wonders of the place in such 
broad Scotch, that one is none the wiser after 
his harangue is finished. Melrose Abbey was 
founded by King David I., in 1136. Now it is 
deserted, and the sparrows may be seen feeding 
their young in the outstretched hands of the 
Apostles, who stand in the niches of the ivy- 
covered walls. The workmanship of the abbey 
is so exquisite that the fibre of the flowers 
can still be traced on the chiselled ruins, which 
have been marred by time and Cromwell’s 
cannon. Here also is the stone upon which 
Sir Walter Scott was accustomed to sit and 
meditate among the graves of his ancestors. 

In the abbey is the sepulchre of Alexander 
III., and a silver urn containing the heart of 
the great Bruce. Wandering among the foot¬ 
worn epitaphs and the moss-covered slabs, one 
can see some curious inscriptions, as “ Here 


9 


lo By Boat and Rail, 

lies the body of an honest man ” ; which argues 
that Diogenes with his lantern never visited 
the neighborhood of Melrose. 

About three miles from the abbey is Abbots¬ 
ford, the home of Scott; in front flows the 
Tweed, while the hills and woods hide it from 
the public view. At the gate we met the old 
game-keeper, with a brace of rabbits, who de¬ 
lights in showing the visitor over the house. 
Here is Scott’s chair; his Highland kilt, the 
last he wore ; the gun of Rob Roy ; the pistols 
of Napoleon ; and a library of twenty thousand 
volumes. 

Six miles from Abbotsford is Dryburgh 
Abbey, where the great author of the Waver- 
ley Novels is buried. It is an old building, built 
after the architecture of the twelfth century. 

As we left this region of poetry, song, and 
romance, the long shadows told that evening 
was approaching. The setting sun gilded the 
Selkirk hills, the linnet was singing in the 
hawthorne, the cattle were lowing in the 
meadow, and the milk-maid’s song mingled 
with the strains of the shepherd’s pipe. 

The Scotch are honest and devoted to their 
religion ; but some of them are neither too 
clean nor too sober, being rather extravagant 


By Boat and Rail. i i 

in the use of whiskey and sparing in the appli¬ 
cation of water. The police are vigilant on 
the Sabbath, and fail not to remind the whistler 
or musician of the sanctity of the day. 

From Edinburgh to London the route was 
via Liverpool, and through the Highlands, 
which at this season of the year (mid-spring) 
were beautiful. On the way we stopped over¬ 
night at a highland village for the purpose of 
enjoying the scenery. The dark mountains 
in the distance, the emerald valley, the white 
blossom of the hawthorne, the warbling of the 
skylark, and the murmuring of the falling 
water made us realize how true it is that “ God 
made the country, and man made the town.” 
In Scotland every inch of arable ground is 
under cultivation, and the hedge fences are 
cut as nicely and as carefully as a barber would 
trim the hair. 

Just before crossing into England we passed 
through Gretna Green, a town that has been 
made famous as the resort of English lovers, 
who, in order to evade the English marriage 
laws, resorted thither to a blacksmith who 
acted as priest. On the route we noticed a 
number of Holstein cattle, although Durhams 
and Alderneys were the most common. The 



12 


By Boat and Rail, 

sheep were large, resembling animated bales of 
cotton. The horses appeared unusually fine 
both in size and in general appearance. The 
highways were kept in excellent condition. 
The first macadamized road was constructed 
here, so called from Macadam, the originator. 

In due time our train carried us into Liver¬ 
pool, a city of ships, like ancient Tyre, where 
every one appeared by their haste to have just 
arrived or about to leave. After a few hours 
we resumed our journey towards London. 
The cars were of the usual character, uncom¬ 
fortable and crowded ; consequently, when an 
Englishman stumbles into the stuffy little car, 
with his bundle of umbrellas and canes, his 
bags, and blankets, and his feet, the space and 
conversation become correspondingly limited. 

The route passed through a rich and fertile 
district, covered with systematic farms and 
improved stock. The train ran at a continuous 
speed of fifty miles an hour. We noted the 
incessant whistle of the locomotive, the numer¬ 
ous straggling houses, the long line of standing 
cars, and at last the dense cloud of smoke which 
always hangs over the capital of the British 
Empire. 


CHAPTER IV. 


T he first object that strikes the eye is 
the dome of the Cathedral of St. Paul, 
which is the largest Protestant church in the 
world. It is a Gothic edifice covering over two 
acres of ground. The height to the top of the 
cross is four hundred and four feet. The cross 
itself is thirty feet high, and the ball on the 
steeple will hold ten or a dozen persons. The 
two dials of the clock, one south, the other 
west, are twenty feet in diameter. The min¬ 
ute-hands are ten feet in length, and weigh 
seventy-five pounds each; the hour-hands are 
six feet in length and weigh forty-four pounds 
each. The figures are two feet long. The 
great bell is ten feet in diameter, weighing 
nearly twelve thousand pounds, and its sound 
can be heard at the distance of twenty-five 
miles. From the ball one looks down upon 
the moving mass of men and horses, which 
have the appearance of insects, but the ever¬ 
lasting roar of London scarcely reaches the 


13 





14 By Boat and Rail, 

ear. Half-way down the dome is the whisper¬ 
ing gallery, which is so constructed that per¬ 
sons over one hundred feet apart can hold a 
conversation in a whisper. 

In the crypt, Wellington, the Iron Duke; 
Lord Cornwallis, of Yorktown fame; and Lord 
Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar and Copenhagen, 
are buried. Here also, Benjamin West, the 
painter, who was born in Delaware County, Pa., 
lies entombed among the great men of Eng¬ 
land. Over the entrance of the choir is this 
brief inscription : “ Here beneath lies Chris¬ 
topher Wren, builder of this church and city, 
.who lived more than ninety years, not for his 
own, but the public good. Reader! if you 
seek his monument, look around you ! ” 

After viewing the Cathedral, we boarded 
one of the little steamers which ply upon the 
Thames, which does not smell in the least like 
the “ apples of Solomon,’' and in a short time 
we were landed at the Tower of London, 
which was founded by William the Conqueror. 
It has been a palace, a place of refuge, and a 
prison, but now it is an exhibition building 
from which the government receives a six¬ 
pence from each visitor. Here one is shown 


By Boat and Rail, 


IS 


by a guide the Bloody Tower, where Richard 
III. murdered his two nephews, the spot 
where Henry VI. was assassinated, and the 
room where the Duke of Clarence was drowned 
in a butt of Malmsey wine. In the Brick 
Tower is the execution block, stained with 
the blood of Mary Queen of Scots and of Lady 
Jane Grey. In another room are the gilded 
armors of the ancient kings, and guns, like 
Colt’s revolvers, made centuries ago. In a 
building, constructed especially for the purpose, 
the crown jewels, regalia, and sceptre are kept. 

Not far from here is the Thames Tunnel, 
formerly a footway under the river, but now 
used as a railway. 

The immensity of London is marvellous. 
Through its innumerable streets over five mil¬ 
lion people swarm, gaining a livelihood, God 
only knows how! 

The famous London docks cover many acres, 
and adjoining are the vaults, where over a 
hundred thousand pipes of wine are stored. 

The Strand is one of the most crowded 
thoroughfares, where pickpockets are as plenti¬ 
ful as fleas in Rome, and where money is even 
safer in the bank than in the pocket. 



16 By Boat and Rail, 

The numerous hospitals are supplied with 
able corps of physicians and surgeons, and with 
everything that surgical ingenuity can invent. 

We wandered through Westminster Abbey, 
which is over six centuries old, and was built 
by Henry III., who dedicated it to the wor¬ 
ship of God; although now it is entered more 
from curiosity than for prayer. Art has gar¬ 
nished it with her noblest works, and patriot¬ 
ism has consecrated it to the repose of heroes, 
poets, and kings. 

In London may be found the richest and the 
poorest people under the sun. In it you can 
get more for a shilling and less for a pound 
than in any other place. Here may be seen 
many a sore, ragged, and hungry Lazarus, 
waiting “ for the crumbs which may fall from 
the rich man’s table.” In one part of the city, 
where crime and poverty are rife, lodgings 
and board for a day can be had for “ tuppence 
ha'-penny ” ; but the knives and forks are chained 
to the table, to remind the rather unscrupulous 
guest that these utensils are not included in 
the bill of fare. 

The English people are brave, generous, stub 
born, haughty, conceited, and suspicious. They 



By Boat and Rail, 


17 


are slow thinkers and good feeders, never dying 
in debt to their stomachs. They delight in 
all kinds of fancy sports, from a chicken fight 
to a contest in the prize-ring. They are at 
home on the turf, for which they abandon all 
kinds of business, and bet all sorts of sums on 
their favorites. Their jockeys are as famous as 
their politicians, and for one of them to gain 
the inside track occasions more applause than 
a majority vote in Parliament. The Derby 
attracts immense crowds, who go in all kinds of 
conveyances. The four-in-hand, double, tan¬ 
dem, and single teams, and steam are brought 
into requisition to convey prince and peasant 
to the same destination. Parliament and the 
courts adjourn for the Derby, which is a 
national holiday. There is good order on the 
grounds, and when the racing is over the 
human race starts for the cars, and he is lucky 
who succeeds in procuring transportation. 

Another amusement is the Mock Court, 
where the judge, dressed in wig and gown, 
charges his glass with more skill than he does 
the jury, and where the limbs of the law, seedy 
with justice, are so well read that they show it 

even in the ends of their noses. 

2 



18 By Boat and Rail, 

The cockney is a curiosity. He praises his 
country a little too much. He thinks that 
there is nothing worth seeing or knowing out¬ 
side of London, and boasts that his govern¬ 
ment is the best, equally lauding the dexterity 
of his thieves and the eloquence of his bishops. 
He does not forget the flavor of his “ heggs ” 
and “’ams,” nor the swiftness of his “’orses ” 
and “ ’ounds.” He seldom goes out of the 
sound of Bow Bells, or out of the sight of St. 
Paul’s. One of them, who had ventured into 
the country for a day’s shooting, on being told 
that a hare was approaching, exhibited his 
bravery and knowledge of natural history by 
saying, “ Let ’im come, hi fear ’im not.” 

The English women are the prettiest in the 
world, with the exception of our own. They 
are beautiful because they are healthy, owing 
to their heavy shoes, comfortable clothing, 
beefsteaks, ale, and exercise. They are also 
resolute and strong. We have seen them rid¬ 
ing the mustang over the Sierra Nevada Moun¬ 
tains and through the Yosemite Valley, or 
trudging up the abrupt sides of Mount Vesu¬ 
vius through lava and cinders, or scudding a 
gondola through the streets of Venice, or on 





19 


By Boat and RaiL 

horseback on their own native heath, clearing 
hedges and ditches “ with locks thrown back 
and lips apart,” their cheeks glowing with ex¬ 
citement “as the deer sweeps by and the 
hounds are in full cry, and the hunter’s horn is 
ringing.” 

But England, with all her antipathies and 
prejudices, is true to herself, and when we left 
her “pale and white-faced shore,” it was not 
without regret, for Englishmen are generous 
foes and faithful friends. 





CHAPTER V. 


F rom London we went to Dover, where 
we took the boat for France, and after 
crossing the English Channel, a ride of a few 
hours, we 1 ‘anded at Calais. Here the custom¬ 
house officials in uniforms examined our bag¬ 
gage. They knew enough English to ask for 
our passports and to wish us a good voyage. 

After some little excitement and anxiety at 
the railway station, as to whether ourselves 
and baggage would reach the same destination, 
we were ushered by a guard into a room and 
locked in. When all was in readiness to move, 
the guard blew his horn, the doors were opened, 
and, without crowding as if life depended upon 
being the first to get a seat, the passengers 
reached the cars. They have accommodations 
for eight persons. As far as safety goes the 
tourist may feel content, for the railway system 
of Europe seems to be perfect. The road is 
enclosed by good fences, the public highways 
are protected by gates, and the bridges are 


20 


By Boat and Rail, 


2 I 

properly guarded. Still the cars are not so 
comfortable as those in our own country. 

The northern portion of France resembles 
the rolling prairie of our Western States; the 
farms have neither fences around them nor 
houses upon them. On an acre of ground 
there will be as many varieties of crops as 
there are patches in a bedquilt. The women 
and dogs act as substitutes for fences; the 
former tether the cattle with ropes attached to 
their horns, and the latter guard the flocks with 
watchful care. The people still cut grain with 
the old-fashioned sickle, and plough with a 
wheel fixed to the beam. The farmers live in 
villages called communes, instead of in isolated 
houses, for the Frenchman without company is 
as lonesome as a Dutchman without his pipe 
and lager. 

The French peasantry are industrious and 
saving, without being penurious. The men 
wear beards, blouses, and wooden shoes; the 
women, attired in short dresses, have their hair 
twisted and secured with silver pins shaped like 
daggers, and their heads are partially covered 
with red handkerchiefs. 

The trip between Calais and Paris occupies 






2 2 By Boat and Rail. 

but a few hours. The route is through a very 
highly cultivated country largely made up of 
trucking farms, the product of which goes 
almost exclusively to Paris to feed its multi¬ 
tudes. As the train approaches Paris there 
are certain unmistakable signs that point out 
the proximity of the magnificent capital of 
France. For miles along the railroad there 
are villas, small farms, and gardens rich with 
flowers ; a portion of the city is traversed be¬ 
fore the depot is reached. Here we stopped, 
and at the appearance of the guard, who re¬ 
leased the passengers, we stepped forth into 
the most pretentious city of the world, the 
Mecca of all nations, and the wonder of all 
peoples. A few minutes later we were quar¬ 
tered in the Grand Hotel, which is one of the 
best in the city. 

Paris is a charming place and immense sums 
of money have been lavished to render it beau¬ 
tiful and attractive, while improvements spring 
up every day. The visitor is fascinated by its 
artificial lakes, its splendid gardens, its long 
avenues, its tossing fountains, and merry 
crowds. The boulevards are as clean as a 
floor, lined with imposing buildings and stores 


By Boat and Rail, 


23 


filled with luxury and art. On the boulevards 
there are but few drays or heavy wagons; in 
their places are private carriages, coupes, and 
omnibuses with seats on top, a style that has 
been recently introduced into the cities of this 
country. The pavements are free from bales 
and boxes, and impetuous clerks do not make 
a reputation as business men by jostling those 
they meet. Gay caf6s, with tables in front, are 
occupied by the fatigued and the idle, who sit 
and sip their black coffee mixed with brandy 
instead of cream. At these resorts may be 
observed the moving multitude, made up of all 
nationalities and costumes: the fat and florid 
Englishman, after his roast beef and “ hale ” ; 
the lean, lank, and sallow Italian, living on con¬ 
spiracies and macaroni; the heavily bearded 
nihilist, thinking of bombs and dynamite, and 
breathing forth destruction against the Czar; 
the white-robed Arab, the Indian of the desert; 
the square-headed but intellectual German, ex¬ 
haling smoke and discussing metaphysics ; the 
kilted Scotchman from beyond the Tweed ; the 
prayerful Turk, with matted beard and eyes 
dreamy with opium ; the coal-black African, 
like Shakespeare’s breeze “ stealing and giving 


24 


By Boat and RaiL 


odor ”; the almond-eyed Chinaman, all cue 
and no eyebrows, on the lookout for rice and 
rat pie; the American, swinging along the 
streets with his hands in his pockets, recog¬ 
nized as a bonanza king; and women of all 
styles of beauty, with dresses as variegated as 
butterflies, and with high-heeled shoes clanking 
over the cemented pavements and keeping 
time to the music of their tongues. 

The French modes are of such infinite 
variety, that there does not appear to be any 
set fashion. A bonnet over the nose, or one 
upon the neck, or a coat with a long or a short 
skirt, do not cause surprise. The dress of the 
women is of every style that pleases the fancy, 
and is worn more on account of its neatness 
than for ostentation. The women are admired 
for their grace, wit, and amiability, rather than 
for the flash of their jewels or the price of their 
robes. 

One soon becomes accustomed to French 
manners, which are fascinating; to their black 
coffee, and to their drink of sugar and water, 
to which the native is partial. The French 
have but two meals a day, and their appetites 
are as good as their dishes. 



By Boat and Rail, 


25 


The immorality of Paris has become a by¬ 
word, and perhaps the people deserve it; but 
still, Honi soit qui mal y penseT At least, 
they do not have improper lectures by charla¬ 
tans who live on, while they laugh at, the sim¬ 
plicity of their patients, as in other countries ; 
nor are skilful magicians permitted to make 
money and create diseases out of good pulses. 

Among the occupations of the Parisians, 
that of the rag-picker is prominent, it being a 
business that is monopolized, because it affords 
a good margin on a small capital, since the 
pack-basket and iron-pointed stick are the only 
implements which are needed to turn rags into 
gold. Honest and industrious in his humble 
avocation, the rag-picker is always anxious for 
excitement. Some of them are the first in the 
revolution of fashions, prices, and thrones. 
Here is the commissionaire^ who stands at the 
corner and, for a slight recompense, will do 
anything that eyes and ears can accomplish. 
Other professions are those of the dog-shaver 
and rat-catcher; the latter will not only 
slaughter rats, but, as his sign indicates, will 
enter the more dexterous arena and kill bed¬ 
bugs at ten sous an hour. 



26 


By Boat and Rail, 


There is also the vendor of lemonade, who 
carries his beverage in a vessel upon his back, 
like a peddler, and, from the sparingness of the 
ingredients and the minuteness of the doses, 
proves that he is strong in the homoeopathic 
faith ; and on every street may be heard the 
loud-mouthed marchand des habits, proclaiming 
his occupation. There is a jealous aristocracy 
even among the scavengers. Their pride of 
birth is inveterate. Their social circles are dis¬ 
tinct. The rag-picker’s son turns up his nose 
at the rat-catcher’s daughter. 

Respectability in Paris does not depend so 
much on the manner of dress and living as it 
does in England. A gentleman may lodge in 
an attic, eat at a caf^, wear unfashionable 
clothing, and make a visit on foot. Wealth is 
considered important, but not essential to gen¬ 
tility. This is one of the social convention¬ 
alities of France, which might be adopted else¬ 
where with advantage. 


CHAPTER VI. 


T he French seem intent on the pursuit 
of pleasure. They forsake their homes 
to seek amusement on the streets. They saun¬ 
ter through the.Jardin des Plantes, noisy with 
the roar of wild beasts, screaming birds, and 
chattering monkeys, and luxuriant with vege¬ 
table life, “ from the cedar tree of Lebanon 
even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the 
wall.” They stroll around the fountains in 
the Place de la Concorde. They watch the 
children flying their painted balloons, feeding 
the pigeons from their hands, or launching 
their tiny boats among the lily-pads on the 
lakes in the Jardin des Tuileries. They stop 
to observe the military manoeuvres in the 
Champ de Mars. They ramble among the 
shrubbery of Versailles, or through the shady 
avenues of Fontainebleau. They never tire of 
visiting the Louvre and the Palace of Luxem¬ 
bourg, where are galleries of paintings miles 
long, which illustrate, more clearly than books, 
27 



28 By Boat and Rail, 

the history, the tastes, and the genius of the 
people. 

The French delight in dancing, feasting, and 
theatre-going. Their ball-rooms are supplied 
with confectionery, flowers, and all that pleases 
the eye. They have halls of all kinds, from 
the Hotel de Ville, where the noblesse, flash¬ 
ing with diamonds, walk and bow through 
the dances, to the Chateau de Fleurs, where 
the student whirls his partner through the 
mazes of the can-can with the velocity of a 
spindle. 

There are fltes without number; the Em¬ 
peror, and later the President, having his fite 
days as well as the blanchisseuse. When her 
holiday comes round she leaves her aquatic 
pursuits of soapsuds and soiled linen, and rides 
in procession through the streets, with water 
lilies in her hand as emblems of the purity of 
her trade. 

At any time you may see crowds in the 
Champs Elysees shaking with laughter at the 
rough wit and antiquated jokes of the mounte¬ 
banks. 

On the banks of the Seine is a small building 
called the Morgue, where the unknown dead 


By Boat and Rail, 


29 


are exposed for three days, in order to be 
claimed by their friends. It is a proverbial 
fact that women never pass it without stopping, 
which shows that they have an anxiety for the 
dead as well as for the living. The hospital 
arrangements of Paris are perfect. A hundred 
of these charitable institutions are thrown 
open to the infirm and afflicted, and thousands 
of patients are annually admitted to their 
wards. The most die from consumption, and 
the fewest from mania apotu. These hospitals 
are handsomely supported by private contri¬ 
butions and legacies, and by a tax of ten per 
cent, on the receipts of all places of amusement. 
One admires the Sisters of Charity, who, 
secluded from the world, pass their lives amid 
contagion and death, and, as “ ministering 
angels,” day and night supply the wants of the 
sick, and console the dying; their gentleness 
and kindness have endeared them alike to 
patients and physicians, who address them by 
the tender sobriquet of “ Mother.” Here 
medical men from all parts of the world gather, 
eager to see the new and dexterous operations, 
and hear the latest theories of celebrated 
teachers. They crowd the halls, as did the 







30 By Boat and Rail, 

students of old at the famous schools of 
Greece. 

A desire to see everything that the capi¬ 
tal offers, may lead the visitor to the place 
of execution to witness the operation of the 
guillotine, the national razor that shaves but 
once. Before Napoleon I. became Emperor 
it stood in the Place de la Concorde, which 
was then called the Place de la Revolution. 
By that instrument of death Louis XVI., Char¬ 
lotte Corday, Marie Antoinette, Danton, Des¬ 
moulins, Robespierre, and twenty-eight hun¬ 
dred others were executed during the days of 
the Revolution. The guillotine is simple in 
construction, but terrible in action, and one 
realizes, with Voltaire, the ferocious curiosity 
of the people. 


“ With barbarous haste, with tumult fierce and loud, 
Round the dire scaffold throng the curious crowd. 

They pant for blood and urge with furious breath. 

The destined hour to feast their eyes on death.” 

The victim appears, dressed in execution 
clothing, with his hands tied behind his back. 
As he steps upon the instrument, which is 
painted red to hide the blood, a spring throws 


By Boat and Rail, 


31 


him into the proper position, and like a flash 
the heavy knife drops from its height, the head 
leaps from the body, the warm blood gushes 
from the lifeless trunk, and a spasmodic shud¬ 
der runs through the retiring crowd. 



CHAPTER VII. 


HE French military under the Republic 



is not the gay and gaudy force that it 
was under the Empire, nor are there as many 
soldiers quartered in Paris. During our first 
visit the city was full of armed men, and yet 
the “ Empire was Peace.” Every tenth man 
was a soldier. Their uniforms were of such 
varied cuts and colors, that it seemed impossi¬ 
ble to invent new ones. There was the warlike 
zouave, with red and white turban, Turkish 
trousers, blue jacket, forehead shaved, and 
beard of formal cut; the heavy-mounted gen¬ 
darme, with bearskin hat and long top-boots; 
the light and swift huzzar; the picturesque 
lancer, with colors flying at the end of his 
spear; the quick-stepping chasseur, and the 
imperial guard, from whose ranks came the 
“ bravest of the brave.” In those imperial 
days, companies were marching all day long 
through the streets, to the rattle of the kettle¬ 
drum, or to the sound of the bugle. Fre- 


32 




By Boat and Rail, 


33 


quently regiments were seen, headed by the 
drum-major, who, with lofty steps and savage 
air, flourished his silver-headed cane to time 
the music and awe the children; while the 
“ daughter of the regiment,” dressed in red 
bloomer, with canteen and sword, marched 
bravely, as if fearing neither war nor wine. 
Then came the veteran of a hundred battles, 
tottering along, enfeebled by age and wounds, 
having lost, perhaps, a limb, either among 
the burning sands of the Pyramids, or amid 
the everlasting snows of Russia, contrasting 
strongly with the dandy cefit-garde^ who on 
prancing steed and with golden spurs, slays 
only with his eyes. 

Under the Empire not only the military but 
all government officials were uniformed. The 
six thousand policemen had no star to hide in 
case of a row, for their cocked hats and straight 
swords indicated their office. They were al¬ 
ways ready to direct a stranger or to quell a 
fight. The streets are well lighted, and after 
dark, every vehicle, from a wheel-barrow to the 
imperial carriage, is compelled to carry a light, 
which not only tends to enliven the city, but 
its value is known by the scarcity of accidents. 

3 






34 


By Boat and Rail, 


In company with my friend, Gen. G. Penny- 
packer, we witnessed in the Champ de Mars, a 
review of sixty thousand men, equipped with 
all the accoutrements of war. The Emperor, 
with his military staff, inspected the different 
regiments while riding through the ranks. 
His graceful horsemanship attracted universal 
attention. Sometimes he stopped to decorate 
a private or pass a compliment upon an officer, 
while the cry of Vive VEmpereur rang along 
the line. There were sham fights, where the 
impetuous charge of cavalry shook the earth 
as they bore down upon the serrated ranks 
and hollow squares of infantry ; while the shock 
of the huge mass of men and horse, the roar 
of cannon, rattle of musketry, the clanging 
of swords, and the clear sound of the zouave 
bugle above the noise and din recalled the 
terror and pomp of real war. When the smoke 
had vanished, the vast army was seen standing 
in perfect order, as if it had not moved. 

At the time of our visit the Emperor was 
fifty-seven years old. His height was five feet, 
seven inches, his shoulders slightly rounded, 
his hands and feet small. His face was rather 
handsome, with a high forehead, a cunning and 


By Boat and Rail, 


35 


vicious eye, and a large and prominent nose; a 
heavy moustache, waxed and pointed, covered 
his mouth, and an imperial adorned his chin. 
His head was round with the hair cut short, his 
expression calm and determined, his manner 
easy and graceful. This was the man that was 
a prisoner at the Fortress of Ham, an exile in 
America, a policeman in London, the Presi¬ 
dent of the Republic, and then the Emperor, 
who, like his great uncle, became again a pris¬ 
oner and an exile, and died upon English soil. 

Napoleon HI. was the most accomplished 
ruler of Europe and an excellent linguist, 
speaking six languages fluently. As an author, 
he wrote several works on military tactics and 
civil government. As an orator, he was elo¬ 
quent, terse, and profound ; as a conversation¬ 
alist, enticing, but preferring to listen rather 
than talk. His bravery and intrepidity were 
such that it is said he never changed a muscle 
of his face at the crack of the assassin’s pistol; 
and the crowd marvelled at his coolness and 
indifference when the infernal machines ex¬ 
ploded at his feet. His bravery on the fields of 
Magenta and Solferino won to him the hearts 
of the soldiers and the plaudits of the nations. 


36 


By Boat and Rail, 

Like Caesar and Napoleon I., he believed in 
a “ star of destiny,” which superstitious confi¬ 
dence, in itself, was a source of popularity and 
safety. He flattered the army because it sus¬ 
tained him. The bourgeois preferred to endure 
him rather than risk a revolution. The peas¬ 
ants loved him for the traditionary lustre of his 
name. 

The downfall of the Empire through the 
Franco-Prussian war was a great surprise to the 
world. It is said that Napoleon was opposed 
to the war at the outset, but he was forced into 
it by the people. After the surrender at Sedan 
he was imprisoned for several months at Wil- 
helmshohe, and, on his release, he retired to 
England. During his imprisonment in German 
territory the Empire had been overthrown and 
a Republic declared. 

The French, as a nation, are excitable, patri¬ 
otic, brave, and polite. Their excitement has 
been too often exhibited in the bloody riots of 
Paris. The exile shows his patriotism by tears 
or enthusiasm at the mention of La Belle 
France, and his bravery is not questioned 
when the bridge of Lodi or trenches of Sebas¬ 
topol are mentioned. Politeness is universal. 


i 


By Boat and Rail, 


37 


The men touch their hats when they enter a 
shop, and when they pass a funeral cortege or 
a church. They are prompt to apologize for a 
wrong, and, it is said, will scarcely resent an 
insult without an introduction. As Voltaire 
has said : “ At times they either act like tigers 
or like monkeys.” 



CHAPTER VIII. 


T every turn in Paris, palaces, churches. 



J~\, arches, and columns meet the eye. The 
Column de Vendome is made from twelve hun¬ 
dred cannon taken from the Austrians and 
Russians by the great Napoleon. The Arc de 
Triomphe, grand in its conception and magnifi¬ 
cent in its workmanship, is at the entrance of 
the Avenue des Champs Elys^es. This monu¬ 
ment was erected by Napoleon to commemorate 
the victories of himself and his marshals. The 
Palais des Tuileries, noble in its extent, modest 
in its architecture, luxuriantly furnished yet 
without ostentation, has been the residence of 
Catherine de Medici, Charles IX., Louis XIII., 
Louis XIV., and the Napoleons. The Cathe¬ 
dral of Notre-Dame, so old that its history is 
lost in obscurity, is still unfinished, and the 
rooks have built their nests in its moss-covered 
turrets. Whilst new shafts and spires were 
being completed, revolutions swept through it 
and robbed it of its treasures ; even the coro- 


By Boat and Rail. 


39 


nation robes of Napoleon I. were not spared, 
and the leaden coffins that contained the re¬ 
mains of Louis XIII. and XIV. were melted 
into bullets by the infuriated mob. 

The Hotel des Invalides is a noble building, 
designed as a home for old soldiers. In the 
council-chamber are the portraits and busts of 
Napoleon and his marshals, and of some of the 
Bourbon kings. Under the dome lie the re¬ 
mains of the Great Emperor, who had desired 
in his will that his ashes should repose on the 
banks of the Seine, among the French people, 
whom he loved so well. In this hotel a home 
was given to the “ Old Guard," whose motto 
was “ to die but never surrender." Only recent¬ 
ly one might have seen some of these old 
“ heroes of a hundred battles " reverently stand¬ 
ing and pressing their gray moustaches against 
the iron bars of their Emperor’s tomb, with 
tears rolling down their scarred and sabre-cut 
faces, as they recalled the “ Little Corporal," 
the Grand Emperor, and the Exile’s dust. 

Americans should not leave Paris without 
visiting the grave of Lafayette. In an obscure 
part of the city, in the Rue de Picpus, No. 15, 
at the extremity of the Faubourg St. Antoine, 


40 


By Boat and Rail, 


is the family burying-ground of the Lafayettes 
and of some old noble families, which is sur¬ 
rounded by walls forming an oblong enclosure. 
On the southeast angle is a plain black slab, and 
beneath it lies that great and good man, the 
friend of Washington, and the hero of the battle 
of the Brandywine. On the occasion of his 
funeral. Dr. Cloquet, author of the Recollections 
of Lafayette, said: “No speeches were pro¬ 
nounced over the General’s grave. After the 
usual prayers, the earth sent by your country¬ 
men from America was mingled with that of 
France, to encircle and protect all that was left 
of Lafayette.” By his side repose the remains 
of his son, George Washington Lafayette. 
What a contrast between his modest resting- 
place and some of those in the cemetery of 
Pere la Chaise, whose inmates are only remark¬ 
able for the grandeur that covers them ! Or, 
compare his grave with those of the kings in 
the Church of St. Denis, where the light streams 
through the stained glass of the Gothic win¬ 
dows, and the heavy sound of the deep-toned 
organ shakes the very dust in their golden coffins. 
When you read the simple epitaph, “ LAFAY¬ 
ETTE,” whose life was associated with so much 


By Boat and RaiL 


41 


patriotism, chivalry, and misfortune, you recall 
the Revolution of Paris, the prison of Olmutz, 
and the green hills and hospitable homes of the 
Brandywine. As long as that stream shall flow 
through luxuriant meadows, enriched by his 
blood, and as long as harvests shall wave over 
the trophies of that struggle in which he shared 
and labored, as long as prosperity and genius 
shall bloom beneath the shelter of this glorious 
Union, whose mighty arch he helped to rear, 
so long will the American people cherish and 
revere the name of Lafayette ! 


CHAPTER IX. 

HE trip from Paris to Madrid, by way of 



Tours and Bordeaux in France, and 


Burgos and Valladolid in Spain, carries the 
traveller through a picturesque and interesting 
country. The only stop of any importance 
made in France was at Bordeaux, which is 
situated on the Garonne River, about sixty 
miles from its mouth, and has a population of 
about two hundred thousand. The city is chiefly 
noted for its wines and fruits, immense quantities 
of both being exported annually. 

From Bordeaux to the Pyrenees, the country 
begins to grow rugged and mountainous. On 
the route is Bayonne, which is three miles 
from the Bay of Biscay, and at the confluence 
of the Adour and Nive rivers, which streams 
divide the city into three parts. Bayonne is 
one of the strongest fortified cities of France. 
The bayonet derived its name from this place, 
where it was invented. Proceeding on our way 
towards Spain, we obtained a view of the 


42 


By Boat and RaiL 


43 


sleepless Bay of Biscay,” while to the south, 
the Pyrenees loomed up in the distance. 
Crossing the Bidassoa River, which is part of 
the boundary between France and Spain, we 
entered Spain, at the town of Irun. Between 
this town and Madrid there are more than fifty 
tunnels. 

Burgos, one of the principal places between 
Bordeaux and Madrid, was the birthplace of 
the celebrated Spanish hero “ El Cid.” Its 
most prominent edifice is the cathedral, one 
of the most magnificent in the world, in 
which there are said to be a miraculous image 
of the Saviour and a number of handsome 
paintings. 

From Burgos to Valladolid the country is 
uninviting, and rugged in many places. Valla¬ 
dolid is a Moorish city, and at one time was 
the residence of the Spanish court. In this 
city Columbus died. It was also noted in the 
sixteenth century for its silver-smiths. In it, 
also, for a time, Cervantes, the author of Don 
Quixote^ lived. 

After a very tiresome ride, we reached the 
Spanish capital, which is surrounded by a bar¬ 
ren and desolate country. The city has a pop- 


44 


By Boat and Rail. 


ulation of half a million. The streets in the 
old portion are crooked and contracted; the 
houses are high and covered with tile. The 
new streets are wide and straight and hand¬ 
somely adorned. Madrid is a clean city. The 
people are proud but polite. The men all 
smoke cigarettes and wear cloaks ; the women 
are rather handsome, cover their heads with 
mantillas, and are given to bright colors. They 
have black eyes, and from the dexterity with 
which they turn them one would think they 
were afflicted with strabismus. The children 
are pretty, round, fat, and healthy. The beg¬ 
gars are numerous, and lose no time in asking 
for alms with one hand, while with the 
other they chase a certain insect over the 
dome of thought. Of course we had to be 
generous with them on account of Columbus. 
The Spaniard takes everything easy, is never 
in a hurry, and lets the other fellow wait. 

Madrid contains many interesting places 
worth visiting. There is a fine collection of 
paintings in the Museo, to enumerate which 
would be impossible. There are Rubens, 
Raphaels, Murillos, Titians, and Teniers by 
the dozen. Connoisseurs say it is the best 


By Boat and Rail. 


45 

collection in the world, and that Spain has 
reason to be proud of this art gallery. 

We visited the royal stables, built of marble, 
where there are three hundred horses and two 
hundred mules, mostly of Arabian and Anda¬ 
lusian stock. They are of the best bone, muscle, 
and form. There are over a hundred carriages 
weighed down with gold and silver, and harness 
to match ; the woodwork of one carriage is 
of solid ebony. My companion obliterated all 
idea of the grandeur of the establishment by 
suggesting that it would make a first-class 
livery stable. 

The Escurial, located twenty miles from 
Madrid, in a wild, mountainous country, void 
of beauty and dismal in the extreme, was built 
by Philip II. to the memory of St. Lawrence 
the Martyr. It is built in the shape of a grid¬ 
iron, as that saint is said to have been broiled 
on one of those domestic articles at his martyr¬ 
dom. Tradition says that he calmly told his 
tormentors to turn him over as he was done on 
that side. The king made it his residence and 
there ruled both Spain and America. It has 
sixteen courtyards, eight stairways, and eleven 
thousand windows, and is adorned with beauti- 


46 


By Boat and Rail, 


ful tapestry, carvings, and statuary. In this Pan¬ 
theon are the remains of the greatest sovereigns 
of Spain. There are twenty-six sarcophagi of 
which eighteen contain the remains of kings 
and queens, and time will fill the rest. 



CHAPTER X. 


O UITTING Madrid, we took cars for 
Barcelona. The first town of any his¬ 
torical importance through which we passed, 
was Alcald de Henares, the birthplace of Cer¬ 
vantes, though having little else to recommend 
it now to the traveller. Once it was a famous 
seat of learning, but after the removal of the 
university to Madrid, it commenced to retro¬ 
grade. 

The next town of note was Guadalajara. It 
is a walled town of the mediaeval times, though 
the walls are rapidly falling into decay. In the 
city, there are still a few of the picturesque 
Moorish houses. Here is the magnificent pal¬ 
ace of Cardinal Mendoza, who lived like a king. 
It was completely sacked in 1809, when the 
French invaded Spain, as was also the Church 
of San Francisco containing the leaden coffins 
of the Mendozas, which were converted into 
bullets by the assailants. 

The entire'country between Madrid and this 
47 


48 


By Boat and RaiL 


place is barren. The next city is Zaragoza, the 
capital of the once renowned, but now extinct, 
kingdom of Aragon. It is on the Ebro River, 
just half-way between Madrid and Barcelona, 
having a population of eighty thousand. It is 
one of the most ancient cities of Spain and the 
first city of that country to profess Christianity ; 
since that event, it has been noted for its fine 
collection of Christian relics. There is hardly 
a city in Spain which has suffered so much 
from war as Zaragoza. In 777, it was captured 
by the Moors who kept possession until 1118, 
when, after a siege of five years, it was retaken 
by the Christians; but not before nearly all of 
its people had been starved to death. In 1808 
it suffered terribly at the hands of the French. 

The siege conducted by Marshal Lannes 
lasted sixty-two days, and was noted for the 
bravery of the inhabitants, not only the men, 
but also the women and children, fighting for 
the city. Every foot of ground was contested 
and as the French advanced, each street, house, 
and even room became a battle-ground. Thirty 
thousand cannon-balls and sixty thousand 
bombs were thrown into the city. Fifty thou¬ 
sand citizens perished, yet, only six thousand 



By Boat and Rail, 


49 


of the number fell in fighting, the remainder 
becoming the victims of pestilence and famine. 

There are two cathedrals in the city, one said 
to have been the Temple of the Goddess Diana, 
embellished with frescos and statuary. In it 
Ferdinand the Great was baptized. The other 
is called El Pilar, in which is a pillar where, 
tradition says, the Virgin descended from 
heaven. 

The Corso is a broad street and the favorite 
promenade ; but the other thoroughfares are 
narrow and gloomy. The tower of San Felipe 
^ leans, like the tower of Pisa, nine feet out of 
the perpendicular. 

The only noteworthy place on the route be¬ 
tween Zaragoza and Barcelona is Lerida, origi¬ 
nally a Carthaginian city, where Caesar defeated 
one of Pompey’s generals. It was at one time 
the residence of the royal family of Aragon. 

Barcelona is so old that no one seems to 
know when its foundation stones were laid. 
Hannibal’s father has the credit of having re¬ 
built it. The country around the city is fertile 
and vineyards are abundant. It is the greatest 
manufacturing city in Spain and its hand¬ 
somest town. The people are well named 


50 


By Boat and Rail, 


the “Yankees of Spain,” since they are in¬ 
dustrious and thrifty. On the land side it 
is surrounded by a wall and defended by a 
citadel. It has a good harbor, and it was here 
that the first attempt was made by Blasco de 
Garey on July 17, 1543, to apply steam as a 
motive power. The most ancient general bank 
for the deposit of cash and the issue of its own 
paper was established in Barcelona in 1401. 
There is a fine promenade, called La Rambla, 
which is constructed in an abandoned river¬ 
bed arid planted with trees and shrubbery, re¬ 
sembling the Unter den Linden in Berlin. 
Outside of the city is the cemetery. The dead 
are placed in receptacles above ground, as in 
New Orleans, and their portraits are frequently 
hung above their bodies. 

The people are very social and are fond of 
congregating at the cafris, where they drink 
black coffee, smoke cigarettes, and play domi¬ 
nos. They are fond of dress, black velvet, 
with red and yellow trimmings, being the 
favorite fabrics. 

The men are generally handsome, but some 
of the women are perfectly beautiful; with 
their clean-cut features, their large flashing 


By Boat and Rail, 


51 


eyes, their soft black hair, their small feet and 
delicate hands, their Venus-like forms, and their 
modulated voices, one could almost imagine 
that there is but a step between the human 
and the divine. 

Everything is dear, except the fare on the 
street-cars, which is two cents ; but they do not 
smell “ as sweet as the flowers that bloom in 
the spring.” Fuel is expensive and little prep¬ 
aration is made for winter. The heat appears 
to be lateyit, and the cold is generally about 
two lengths ahead of the fire. 

The houses have not an inviting appearance, 
and everything looks unfinished. On almost 
every hillside there are antiquated Moorish 
castles, crumbling with age and as silent as 
their once boisterous occupants, the tangled 
ivy and the sombre rooks being the only indi¬ 
cations of life. 

The people are far behind us in agricultural 
improvements. The oxen pull by their horns 
and drag a wooden plough that has but one 
handle. The grain is tramped out on stone 
floors and winnowed. There are neither fences 
nor hedges, and the peasantry, like those of 
France, live in villages. The women do their 






52 


By Boat and Rail. 


share of work, wear short petticoats and 
wooden shoes, and may be seen carrying heavy 
loads on their backs; they attend the flocks, 
act as flagmen at the railway stations, and 
labor with the men in the fields. The donkey 
is at home in Spain, and is seen everywhere, 
ever patient and overloaded ; with drooping 
ears, he appears to be meditating over the 
absurdity of the Latin proverb : “ Labor con¬ 
quers all things.” 

Leaving Barcelona, with its busy marts and 
harbor thronged with ships from every nation, 
we took the train for Port Ventres, which is 
just over the Pyrenees in France, where we 
embarked for Algiers. 


CHAPTER XI. 


A lgiers is a picturesque old town, half 
Arab and half French, and is divided 
into two parts. The old town, which is the 
Arab portion, is a thousand years old, and is 
built upon the side of a hill, so steep that the 
ascent is made by steps. The houses rise one 
above another in tiers, and are annually im¬ 
proved by a coat of whitewash. Those of 
the wealthy are handsome and constructed in 
the Moorish style of architecture, which is 
light and ornamental, many of them having 
elaborately carved columns. There are no 
windows to the houses, but instead small aper¬ 
tures, which are protected by iron bars. The 
roofs are flat, and are resorted to by the 
occupants in the cool of the evening. The 
homes of the poor are mere hovels, the en¬ 
trances into which are mostly below the street 
level. 

The streets are badly paved, and so narrow, 
that the loaded camels cannot pass each other 


53 





54 By Boat and Rail, 

without friction. The balconies project so far 
over the street line that one can almost shake 
hands with his neighbor opposite. On the top 
of the hill is the ancient citadel, which was the 
castle of the old piratical Deys. When they 
held full sway, the castle was surmounted by 
an observatory, and a sentinel constantly 
watched for vessels sailing along the coast. 
The wall, which surrounds the city, is twelve 
feet thick and thirty feet high. 

The new town was built by the French, who 
have been in the possession of the country for 
the past forty years. The streets, resembling 
the boulevards of Paris, are wide and made 
attractive by modern improvements. Algiers 
has no wharves, as the harbor is too shallow to 
allow vessels to approach close to the shore, 
consequently passengers, baggage, and freight 
are brought ashore in lighters. The porters, 
whose garments are not remarkable for length 
in either direction, will carry trunks on their 
backs, secured in racks, almost any distance, 
for a small sum. 

Algiers has been frequently attacked and 
partially destroyed by the navies of Spain, 
England, Holland, and the United States. 


By Boat and Rail. 55 

Finally the French conquered the country and 
made it a colony. These repeated attacks 
were the result of the freebooting proclivities 
of the people. The French keep a corps 
darm^e of 60,000 men in Algeria, because the 
natives are very unreliable as to their peaceful 
habits. The possession of this country has 
cost France 150,000 soldiers and $600,000,000. 

There is a greater variety of dress and lan¬ 
guage here than in any place we have visited. 
The Arabs still retain their white robes, and 
the women wear muslin over their faces, ex¬ 
posing nothing but their black eyes. An Arab 
swell, with his erect figure, standing six feet, 
wrapped in his fine white robe, with red 
morocco boots and a turban, is something to 
be admired. His feet are so well formed that 
the water will run under the instep, while, 
in the case of his neighbor, the negro, it will 
run over the foot. 

The soil is very fertile, and the climate, in the 
winter, delightful; pomegranates, figs, dates, 
and oranges grow in profusion. The cereals 
are about the same as ours, with the exception 
of corn. Coral fishing is a specialty in Algiers, 
and is valued at $500,000 per annum. The 



56 By Boat and Rail, 

coral is fished for by means of a wooden imple¬ 
ment in the shape of a cross, with nets hung 
upon the cross-bars. These nets are dragged 
among the crevices of the rocks, breaking off 
the coral branches, which adhere to the nets. 

There are some beautiful villas near the city, 
surrounded by gardens and luxuriant trees. 
Their horses, of Moorish breed, about fifteen 
hands high, are strong and well proportioned, 
and driven eight to a diligence—four abreast. 
With bells, crack of the whip, and shouts of 
the driver, they make their own right of way. 
Their places of worship are numerous, and 
represent several denominations, as the Roman 
Catholic cathedral, the Mohammedan mosque, 
the Protestant church, and the Jewish syna¬ 
gogue. There are some excellent hotels con¬ 
ducted on the French plan. A railroad runs 
from the city into the interior, along which 
eucalyptus trees have been planted to keep 
off the fever. 

We rode in a diligence into the country as 
far as the Atlas Mountains. The ride in a 
crowded stage, filled with a job lot of Arabs, 
was not very pleasant. We were glad when 
the journey was over. It is said that brigands 


By Boat and Rail, 


57 


infest the mountains, but we were more afraid 
of those little robbers, of which you could 
cover a score with a thimble, than of the bandit 
with his feathers, ribbons, and little gun. 

We were invited to a tiger hunt, but did not 
care to participate in searching for something 
that we did not want to find, as probably it 
might result in the hunter becoming the 
hunted. 






CHAPTER XII. 


HE passage across the Mediterranean 



i Sea from Algiers to Marseilles was 
rough and choppy, and the passengers were 
neither jovial nor loquacious. 

On board was an Arab sheik, who, with a 
sad and landward look, was leaning over the 
guard of the vessel. On being asked if he 
liked the beautiful sea, he replied, turning up 
the whites of his eyes, and pointing with his 
long sallow finger towards the shore, that he 
would give a thousand piasters to hear his horse 
neigh on the desert. Just then the ship heaved 
to, and so did he. This old tub, with its round 
bottom, seemed to have been made on purpose 
to smash crockery, to break furniture, and to 
make things generally disagreeable. Every¬ 
body was happy when they saw the steeples and 
red roofs of Marseilles. 

This city is said to have been founded by 
the Phoenicians, six centuries before the Chris¬ 
tian era. It is the principal southern port of 


By Boat and RaiL 


59 


France, and has over one hundred acres of 
docks. The harbor can accommodate one 
thousand first-class vessels. At the southern 
entrance of the harbor is Fort St. Nicholas, 
and at the northern the Castle of St. Jean; out 
at sea are the Isles d’lf, on which is the Chateau 
dTf, one of the state prisons of France, in 
which Mirabeau was imprisoned. It has been 
made more famous by the elder Dumas in his 
Count of Monte Christo. The Church of St. 
Victor, the Chapel of Notre Dame de la 
Garde with its silver image of the Virgin four 
feet high, the museum with its antiquities, the 
docks and bonded warehouses, are all worth a 
visit. 

The harbor of Marseilles is exceedingly 
dirty. As there is no perceptible tide in the 
Mediterranean Sea, the filth that is ejected into 
the harbor from the city has no egress until the 
wind shifts to the southward. This condition 
of affairs has rendered the city unhealthy. 
The climate, except during the summer months, 
is delightful. 

From Marseilles we journeyed to Monte 
Carlo, the great gambling resort of Europe 
since the closing of Baden-Baden in 1872. It 



6o 


By Boat and Rail, 


is situated in the Principality of Monaco, the 
smallest and oldest monarchy in the world, and 
is owned by Prince Albert, who rents it to a 
syndicate of gamblers. The city was fortified 
by Louis XIV. of France, and on one of his 
old cannon the inscription Ultima ratio 
regum ” is still to be seen. 

The drives, the gardens, the music, the pic¬ 
turesque lakes, the rare plants, and the Grand 
Casino have gained for Monte Carlo the name 
of an earthly paradise—a name which may fit 
its beauty, but not its business. The Casino, 
a magnificent building of cream-colored stone, 
is situated on the top of a promontory, one 
hundred and fifty feet high, overlooking the 
sea and surrounded by fountains, flower-beds, 
and tropical trees. There are free concerts 
every day. There are comfortable reading- 
rooms, and such other appointments as go to 
make the place agreeable. 

Although it is the only place in the world 
where public gambling is licensed, its perma¬ 
nent residents are prohibited by law from taking 
any part therein, nor are they allowed within 
the Casino. Visitors must have a permit, and 
as they enter upon its waxed floors they are 


By Boat and Rail, 61 

required to remove their hats. No loud talk¬ 
ing is permitted, and everything is conducted 
in a decorous manner. Its tables, day and 
night, are crowded with people from all parts 
of the world, who seem anxious to throw their 
money away ; they shower their gold on the 
tables, to see it raked into the coffers of the 
establishment by the croupiers. Women are 
the most persistent and the heaviest players, 
and lose enormous sums. Here, all day, the 
clink of coin, and the monotonous repetition 
of the croupier, Rien ne va pliiSy is heard. 
The Prince of Wales was there at the same 
time we were, and went away, like the rest 
who bet, several pounds lighter. 

The only games permitted are roulette and 
rouge-et-noir. There are altogether ten double 
roulette tables, each twenty feet long, and four 
rouge-et-noir tables, and at some of them only 
gold is permitted to be played. The lowest 
bet that is allowed to be made at any one time 
is a five-franc piece, and the highest is twelve 
hundred francs. Ropes and pistols are some¬ 
times in demand by those who have made un¬ 
fortunate ventures at the game. 

From Monte Carlo we drove over the Mari- 





62 


By Boat and Rail, 

time Alps, along the Corniche road, with 
postilion and a spanking pair of horses with 
jingling bells, to Nice, for the purpose of wit¬ 
nessing the carnival. The road was perfect, 
and the scenery was enhanced by the snow- 
topped mountains, the bright blue sky, and 
trembling sea. The hills along the route were 
dotted with crumbling Roman towers, vine¬ 
yards, and olive groves, “ through whose green 
boughs the golden sunshine crept.” These 
trees are planted high on the sides of the 
mountains, and recall to mind the dove and 
the olive branch. The oil is still extracted in 
some localities from the fruit with the old- 
fashioned hand-press. 

The Corniche road is the finest in the world, 
extending from Marseilles to Genoa, a distance 
of over two hundred and fifty miles. 

Nice formerly belonged to Sardinia, but was 
presented to France by Victor Emmanuel, 
for the military services rendered to him by 
Napoleon III., who helped to chase the Aus¬ 
trians out of Italy. The city is noted for its 
silk manufactories, olive oil, fine wines, and 
delightful climate. Although in summer Nice 
is excessively hot and in dry weather its streets 


By Boat and Rail, 


63 


are very dusty, yet in winter, on account of 
its genial climate, it is a great resort for 
travellers. 

The carnival, which was in progress during 
our visit, was called the “ Battle of Flowers.” 
Wagons covered with roses were drawn along 
the streets, and the wheels, the horses, the 
harness, and the occupants were bedecked with 
posies. They threw bouquets to the crowd, 
who in turn showered them on the carriages. 
The air was redolent with the fragrance of the 
rose. Everybody appeared to be happy, for it 
was a day of sunshine, laughter, and flowers. 

There is a marble statue in the principal 
street of the city, which was erected to the 
memory of Catherine Segurana, a poor woman 
who, in 1543, saved the city from capture by 
the Turks. Their army had planted the Cres¬ 
cent upon the ramparts, when she cut down 
the Turkish standard-bearer and rallied the 
flying troops. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


N the route between Nice and Pisa is the 



city of Genoa, reputed to be the birth¬ 
place of Columbus, though, as a matter of fact, 
he was born in Cogoleto, fifteen miles from 
Genoa, in 1447. Genoa is an attractive and 
historical city. It is located on a gulf, bearing 
the same name, at the foot of the mountains, 
and is a manufacturing emporium of consider¬ 
able note, the principal industries being the 
making of furniture, velvets, silks, and hats. 

The streets, as in other cities of Italy, are 
narrow, yet on some of them are many superb 
buildings. Probably it contains more palaces 
than any other city in the kingdom, but one 
gets weary gazing at so much magnificence 
and longs for simplicity. The style of archi¬ 
tecture is largely renaissante, and the great 
stairways leading from the streets to the front 
doors glisten with marble columns. In these 
elegant buildings are collected many of the 
choicest paintings of the great masters. 


By Boat and Rail, 


65 


The museum has a number of documents in 
the handwriting of Columbus, which are now 
under glass, as some vandal tore his name 
from one of the papers. Here are many 
illuminated volumes, which are exceedingly 
well executed. It was in Genoa that for many 
years the leading goldsmiths had their head¬ 
quarters, and a great quantity of filigree work 
is still manufactured there. 

The women are noted for their beauty of 
figure, their graceful manners, and their ele¬ 
gant robes. The men are robust, active, and 
industrious. 

It was in this city that Marshal Massena, 
one of Napoleon’s generals,'withstood a siege 
of three months against the united forces of 
England and Austria, with but a handful of men. 

He made repeated sallies from the city, and, 
on one occasion, with twelve hundred men, 
made prisoners of four thousand Austrians. 
For a number of days his soldiers, prisoners, 
and the citizens lived upon two ounces of 
bread a day, made from starch, cocoa, and 
linseed oil. The iron-willed marshal would 
not surrender at discretion, as the Austrians 
demanded, but on the condition that he should 



66 By Boat and Rail. 

march out of the city with flying colors, and 
not as prisoners of war. His terms were 
accepted, and, as he left the Austrian general, 
he remarked, “ I give you notice that ere 
fifteen days have elapsed I shall once more be 
in Genoa,’’ and he made his promise good. 

From Genoa we proceeded to Pisa. The 
country around this city appears to be very 
fertile and well cultivated. Round and sleek 
cattle were standing in the bright streams, 
browsing on the low-hanging leaves, while 
horses were rolling and playing in the luxuri¬ 
ant meadows. The chief attraction of the 
place is the leaning tower, which is one hun¬ 
dred and seventy-eight feet high, fifty in 
diameter, and inclines thirteen feet out of the 
perpendicular. There is a dispute among 
authorities as to whether it was built in this 
way, or whether it was caused by settling; 
lawyers say it was so constructed to give it a 
lien on the land. 

The river Arno divides the city into two 
sections, which are connected by several hand¬ 
some bridges. Pisa is noted for its statuary 
and sculptors. The churches and public build¬ 
ings are substantial and elegant in point of 


By Boat and Rail, 67 

construction. The cathedral is one of the 
noblest ecclesiastical edifices in Italy, built in 
the form of a Latin cross, surmounted by an 
elliptical dome. Among its interior ornaments 
are magnificent bronze doors of skilful work¬ 
manship, and a grand pulpit, the work of 
Nicolo Pisano, the founder of the Pisan school 
of sculpture. This city is the birthplace of 
Galileo, who, one day, while in the cathredral, 
made the discovery of the pendulum, through 
the regularity with which the suspended lamps 
swung to and fro. Leaving Pisa we departed 
for Naples. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

N aples, the beautiful, is built partly at 
the base and partly on the slope of 
two hills, facing the most renowned bay in the 
world. With such surroundings, it is no won¬ 
der that the Neapolitans are proud of their 
city, and say “See Naples and die” ; but we 
would rather see the Brandywine Hills and 
live. Naples has a population of half a million ; 
the people are industrious, sober, and genial, 
and one hears more laughter than blasphemy. 
The workmen are strong, and the wages are 
much lower than in this country, and living is 
cheap. Fruit and vegetables are abundant, 
and, in the evenings, herds of goats, with 
tinkling bells are driven through the streets, to 
be milked at the doors of the customers. 

The city, so the people say, is so ancient, 
that the time of its commencement is unknown. 
Some of the houses verify the statement. 
Many of them are a hundred feet high, with 
walls eight feet thick. The streets are narrow 
68 


By Boat and Rail. 69 

and crowded to excess. In the evening the 
Riviera di Chiaja, that splendid and fashion¬ 
able thoroughfare, is thronged with pedestrians 
and stylish equipages, but the most remarkable 
vehicle in Naples is the coricolo, which is a 
public conveyance drawn by one horse, and 
seems to have a capacity far beyond its size. 
It is not limited to numbers, as twenty or 
thirty persons often ride in or on it; every 
available space, except the wheels is occupied, 
and a net is swung beneath, in which the chil¬ 
dren are stowed. 

There are over a hundred churches of all 
styles of architecture, a dozen well conducted 
hospitals, two dozen good hotels, and scores of 
artistic fountains, which make the city attrac¬ 
tive. There is a good supply of water brought 
from Serino, about thirty miles distant. 

The donkey, the horse, and the cow are 
hitched together, while the dogs and the women 
do their share of work. Soldiers are numerous, 
assuming an air of satisfaction, as they do not 
expect an enemy to come, and have none to 
pursue. 

In some quarters of the city the inhabitants 
are prolific in rags, dirt, and children; if they 



70 


By Boat and RaiL 


had a day fixed for a grand wash, it would be 
a benefit both to themselves and to the soil. 
The land is composed of volcanic ashes, mixed 
with decomposed vegetation. There is a stone 
called piperino, which is not as heavy as marble, 
used in the manufacture of columns for build¬ 
ings. The streets are paved with blocks of 
lava, which are hard and even. The principal 
church is the cathedral, which is located upon 
the ancient site of the Temple of Apollo. 
In it is the chief entrance to the catacombs. 

The royal palace is decorated with artistic 
frescos by native artists. The museum con¬ 
tains the royal library of nearly two hundred 
thousand volumes, and an unrivalled collection 
of gems, mosaics, bronzes, and vases, taken 
from the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 

Naples, in 1885, suffered terribly from the 
cholera, as many as fifteen hundred people 
dying in a single day; now it is considered 
healthy. The hotels are excellent, but they 
charge extra for light, soap, and attendance, 
and the traveller is expected to pay all hands 
when he takes his departure. 

There are entire streets in Naples devoted to 
stores, in which nothing but the images of 


By Boat and Rail, 71 

saints and madonnas are sold. These images 
are of the most brilliant colors. Thousands of 
them are exported to the United States and 
South America ; in fact, wherever the Italian 
goes, the saints and madonnas follow. 

The Neapolitans have great veneration for 
their dead. On All-Souls-Day it is their cus¬ 
tom to visit the cemeteries and decorate the 
graves of their relatives. For the performance 
of this they make a kind of holiday, and go on 
their mission in a reverential manner; but, 
this duty being performed, they enter the inns, 
and with bacchanal song and laughter soon for¬ 
get their dead. The people have also a very 
curious custom of exhuming the body two 
years after interment, and having the bones 
washed and then reburied. Some mothers 
even encase the bones of their little ones in a 
small casket, and wear them around their 
necks. 

Mount Vesuvius is on the opposite side of 
the Bay of Naples. There is an excellent 
carriage road to the base of the cone, from 
which a cable road runs nearly to the top. 
Here is a restaurant, where you can procure a 
good lunch and the celebrated wine, ‘‘ Lacryma 






72 


By Boat and Rail. 


Christi,” which is made from the vineyards 
planted along its abrupt sides. 

After reaching the terminus, we climbed 
through ashes and lava to the crater, assisted 
by the guide, who pulled us up by placing a 
band around our shoulders. We were near 
enough to light paper and burn our shoes. The 
volcano was at the time emitting smoke, fire, 
and stones. We were almost overcome by the 
fumes of sulphur, and were slightly agitated by 
the terrific rumbling, so we were perfectly satis¬ 
fied to retrace our steps and take the cars for 
safer quarters. We visited Pompeii, which is 
at the base of the mountain. The city was 
destroyed in the year 79 A.D. In 1748, the 
buried town was discovered while a vineyard 
was being planted. Since that date, frequent 
excavations have been made, and now about 
one quarter of it has been exposed. The streets 
were paved with lava, where the tracks of 
wheels can still be seen ; on each side were 
footpaths, under which were channels, closed 
by iron bars, intended to carry away the waters ; 
about twenty-five streets have been reopened, 
the widest being thirty feet. The houses were 
two stories high, without chimneys, containing 


By Boat and Rail, 


73 


a vestibule, a court, in the centre of which was 
a flower garden, with basins and fountains and 
baths. 

The worn marble at the fountains, of which 
there is one in every street, still show their 
excessive use. They had forums, theatres, and 
private residences, elaborately decorated with 
mosaics and columns. Some of the stores 
were large and handsome. From the sur¬ 
roundings, it seemed that the people must have 
lived luxuriantl)^ 

The skeletons of many were exhumed, lying 
in the position in which they fell, suffocated by 
the heat and ashes. Soldiers were found stand¬ 
ing at their posts ; animals, exhibiting the last 
agonies of death ; people, apparently in flight, 
clutching treasures in their hands. Surgical 
instruments, similar to those of the present 
day, as well as exquisite statuary in marble, 
bronze, and brass, were observed. 

In one house we visited was an artist’s studio, 
in which there was a marble slab, half cut. 
Several unfinished figures and the tools used 
by the artist were lying near by. Everything 
had the appearance of the occupant having left 
the room in great haste. Among the every-day 






74 


By Boat and Rail, 


necessities were terra-cotta pipes for heating 
purposes, lead pipes with water stops, and mills 
for grinding grain. The shops of wine-merchants 
and money-changers made one think that he 
was in a modern instead of an ancient city. 

The secret passage by which the priests 
entered the statue of Isis, to make her pro¬ 
pound the oracles, was one of the most interest¬ 
ing discoveries. The temple contained ten 
altars, on which were burned the bodies of 
animals; their bones and ashes were still lying 
around the altars. 

We saw the house of Sallust, which was 
identified by an inscription over the door. 
Pompeii, with its salubrious climate and sunny 
hills, the bright sea, the mountain, and the 
plain, must have been an earthly paradise. 

We also visited Herculaneum, which suffered 
with its sister city. Its locality was discovered 
in 1706, when a well was being sunk. It also 
must have been an attractive place. The 
streets were wide and straight, the buildings 
even finer than those of Pompeii. One of the 
theatres, generously ornamented with bronzes 
and marble statuary, was capacious enough to 
seat eight thousand persons. 


By Boat and Rail. 


75 


Before our departure from Naples we visited 
the tomb of Virgil, whose enchanting verses 
will last as long as the hills and valleys of which 
he sang so sweetly. We also saw the house in 
which, at one time, Nero resided. 

On the opposite side of the bay from Naples 
is the ancient city of Sorrento, which was the 
birthplace of the poet Tasso. His house is 
still standing, having been built upon a rock. 

“ Beside Sorrento’s sounding beach, on which her murm’ring 
seas 

Their blue waves roll ’mid foam and spray beneath the 
orange trees.” 

There are still left some of the old ruins, 
such as those of the temples of Ceres and of 
the Sirens. In the days of the greatness of 
Rome, as now, this place was celebrated for 
the purity of its air and the charm of its 
scenery. The wines which came from the 
vineyards of Sorrento were held in high 
repute. 


CHAPTER XV. 



UR next objective point was Rome,— 


the Eternal City,—and headquarters 
of the Roman Catholic Church. Although the 
Pope has been deprived of his temporal power, 
and rules over no territory, yet he is a very im¬ 
portant personage, and has a larger number of 
subjects than any other ruler. 

While in Rome the guides promised to show 
us things that had been, and even things that 
were not. They were as flippant about the 
palaces of the Caesars as if they had assisted in 
the building, and one might suppose, from their 
style of language and the attitudes which they 
assumed, that they had been orators in the 
Forum, gladiators in the Colosseum, and had 
even knocked about with Septimius Servius. 

We wandered through the grand palaces, 
shining with gold and silver, visited the churches 
built over the remains of heathen temples, ad¬ 
mired the triumphal arches and the gigantic 
baths, and stood beside solid aqueducts which 


By Boat and Rail, 


77 


seemed as imperishable as their history. We 
visited the Tarpeian Rock and the tombs of the 
Scipios ; we heard the owls hoot in the aisles 
of the Colosseum, and watched the moonlight 
upon the walls ; we scared the rooks from the 
broken baths of Caracalla, and saw lizards 
basking in the sun at the Egerian fountain. 
We saw cows in the Forum with its acres of 
ruins, and heard the donkey bray where Cicero 
harangued the people. 

In Rome objects of general curiosity and 
special faith abound. The Cathedral of St. 
Peter—the largest church in the world—is in 
the form of a Latin cross, and is surmounted 
by three domes, which on Easter and other 
great festal days of the Church are illuminated 
by five thousand lights. The height of the 
central dome from the floor to the top of the 
cross is 435 feet, and its diameter is 196 feet ; 
the dome of this church is, therefore, fifty feet 
wider and sixty-four feet higher than St. Paul’s 
in London. The length of the church is 613 
feet, and across the transepts 450 feet. The 
vaulted dome is ornamented with gilded deco¬ 
rations ; the pavement is of marble inlaid in 
designs. The high altar, over the grave of St. 


78 By Boat and Rail. 

Peter, has a rich canopy, supported by four 
beautiful spiral bronze columns. Here high 
mass is only celebrated by the Pope. The 
cupola is embellished with figures in mosaics ; 
the doors of the cathedral are all of bronze, 
and are in bas-relief of the most exquisite 
workmanship. There is a bronze statue of St. 
Peter, who is represented as sitting in a chair, 
and as the “ faithful ’’ pass they kneel and kiss 
his toe, which has become worn thin by this 
mark of adoration. There are a number of 
statues in the cathedral the work of Michael 
Angelo, Thorwaldsen, Canova, and others. 

The Vatican, which is the residence of the 
Pope, contains a great number of celebrated 
paintings and manuscripts. In the Sistine 
Chapel there are also many grand paintings. 
Among the most notable in the Sistine Chapel 
are The Last Judgment and Creation of the 
World, by Michael Angelo. In the Vatican are 
The Transfiguration and The Adoration of the 
Magi, by Raphael; also three Murellos, which 
are as beautiful and true as paintings can be 
made. 

In the Church of St. John Lateran, founded 
by Constantine, the guide showed us, what is 


By Boat and Rail, 


79 


said to be a part of the table used at the Last 
Supper, also the holy staircase formed of twenty- 
eight marble steps, formerly in the house of 
Pilate, which had been brought to Rome. This 
stair is called holy from having been sanctified 
by the blood of Christ, who ascended and de¬ 
scended it at the period of his trial. They are 
covered with boards to prevent them from 
being worn away by the thousands of the 
faithful who ascend them upon their knees, as 
a penance for their sins. At another place is 
shown the prison of St. Peter; the well from 
which he drank, which is still full of water ; the 
chains with which he was bound, and the spot 
where he was crucified head downward. The 
Pantheon, that magnificent temple erected by 
Agrippa, in the centre of the Campus Martius, 
is now the only building of ancient Rome which 
remains entire. 

The Church of the Capuchins, near the Bar- 
berini Palace, contains the famous painting of 
St. Michael the Archangel^ by Guido. The 
church is both the home and the sepulchre of 
the Capuchin friars, who are very strict in their 
devotions and habits. They bury their mem¬ 
bers in the vaults of the church, which, being 


8o 


By Boat and Rail. 


very limited, cause them to adopt a peculiar 
custom, which is, to exhume the bones of those 
who have been buried for some time to make 
place for others who have recently died. They 
pile the dry skulls in tiers, one above another, 
and make rosettes and other designs of the 
smaller bones. Some of the more prominent 
of the order have had their bones kept intact, 
and are dressed in cowl and cassock. An old 
friar, who was showing us through the crypt, 
remarked in a jocular manner : “ Some day my 
bones will decorate this room.” 

While in Rome we saw the Pope officiating 
as high priest and washing the feet of pil¬ 
grims. We also met the King and Queen 
driving out. They saluted every one, and my 
companion. Dr. R. J. Baily, remarked : “ They 
seem to be the only speaking acquaintances that 
we have in this country.” We visited a theatre 
over which there was no roof, and the play was 
Christopher Columbus Discovering A merica ; all 
the Indians wore long beards, which struck us 
as ludicrous. 

We became weary looking at the paintings, 
statuary, ruins, palaces, and churches of this 
great city. It is easy to see that the. present 


By Boat and Rail. 81 

Romans are not related to the ancient inhabi¬ 
tants. None of the present race have ever 
sculptured The Dying Gladiator nor painted 
The Transfiguration^ nor raised the columns of 
the Colosseum ; they are better at raising 
prices. 

Recently the sewerage of the city has under¬ 
gone some radical changes, and Rome has been 
made one of the healthiest cities in Europe. 
The streets are kept clean, and most excellent 
water from the mountains has been introduced. 
There is now a project to construct a canal 
from the city to the sea; if built, it will be 
about twelve miles long. The cost is estimated 
at twenty million dollars. Rome is a cosmo¬ 
politan city, and is full of priests, beggars, and 
sight-seers. In the country the fashion never 
changes ; the peasants have much the same 
style of dress that they had in the days of 
Horace, and the changes of the modes do not 
trouble them any more than politics and other 
luxuries. In the summer they come down 
from the mountains to gather the crops, driv¬ 
ing long-horned cream-colored oxen, which 
draw huge loads over the Appian Way. In the 

time of the vintage, which is the happiest and 
6 


82 


By Boat and Rail. 


merriest of the year, when the gentle wind 
plays among the tangled vines, and the spark¬ 
ling sunshine mellows the purple of the pendant 
clusters, the peasants make the vine-clad hills 
of Albano and Palestrina ring with Vendem- 
mian song in anticipation of the blushing 
harvest: 

“ 'T is enough to make 
The sad man merry, the benevolent one 
Melt into tears, so general is the joy.” 

In every direction from Rome there are to 
be seen the remains of ancient cities,—Tivoli, 
Frascati, the villa of Adriana, and Veii. Of 
the last mentioned city, Propertius said : “ Now 
within the walls the horn of the herdsman 
sounds slowly, and they reap the fields among 
your bones.” 

The Italians have some very curious customs, 
which have been preserved and handed down 
from generation to generation. Their dances 
are lively and noisy, being generally performed 
in the open air, accompanied with music and 
song. The canta-storia^ or story-singer, is one 
who tells a romance in rhyme. This custom is 
one of the most ancient. In some sections the 
people will not eat a tame goose, because the 


By Boat and Rail. 83 

ancient Romans made the goose a sacred bird, 
as by their cackling they gave notice of the 
approach of the Gauls, and thereby saved the 
city. 

All over Italy are found macaroni manufac¬ 
tories, as this delicacy is a favorite dish with 
all classes, and, to a great extent, the substitute 
for bread ; it is sold everywhere, in the shops 
and upon the streets ; it is macaroni and olives 
in the palaces and cottages, year in and year 
out. Chestnuts are an important crop ; they 
make bread and other articles of diet from 
them, and the failure of this crop is a serious 


one. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


F lorence, one of the most pleasantly 
located cities of Europe, lies among 
the mountains and forests of Tuscany, and is 
divided by the “ golden Arno,” which is crossed 
by several bridges. One, the Ponto della Santa 
Trinita, is of marble, remarkable for its elegance 
and lightness, and is adorned with statues. 

Florence has had associated with its history 
the names of more illustrious men than any 
other city. Lorenzo de Medici, Macchiavelli, 
and Amerigo Vespucci were born here. It 
was the home of the great poet Dante, whose 
tomb, with those of Michael Angelo, Galileo, 
and Villanis, is in the Church of Santa Croce. 

The proudest boast of Florence is the grand 
gallery in the Uffizi Palace, containing speci¬ 
mens of painting and statuary by the greatest 
masters. In statuary may be specified the 
Venus de Medici, and the group of Niobe and 
Her Childre7i; and in painting, works by Michael 
Angelo, Raphael, Titian, Guido, and numerous 
84 


By Boat and Rail, 


85 


others. In the Pitti Palace is Raphael’s 
Madonna della Seggiola, the most beautiful 
picture extant. In order to copy this picture, 
application must be made five years before¬ 
hand, so many desire to reproduce it. Some 
of the rooms were laid in mosaic, and the walls 
covered with admirably executed tapestries. 

The Laurentian Library contains upwards of 
nine thousand ancient manuscripts, equalled in 
importance by no collection, except that of 
the Vatican. 

The Duomo, which is the famous cathedral, 
has the largest dome in the world. The people 
are chiefly engaged in marble-cutting, wood¬ 
carving, cabinet-making, working in mosaics, 
gold-beating, and silver-smithing. There are 
also porcelain and majolica factories. 

Florence is a clean city. The climate is 
mild, the attractions numerous, the surround¬ 
ings charming, the inhabitants social, and living 
is cheap. 

Bologna is one of the great educational 
centres of Europe. Its university is as vener¬ 
able as any in the world. The Botanical Gar¬ 
dens contain a great number of rare and beauti¬ 
ful plants. These gardens were established by 


86 


By Boat and Rail. 


the famous anatomist and botanist, Aldrovandi, 
who is said to have died in one of the hospitals 
that he founded. 

This city has the reputation of having pro¬ 
duced more popes and cardinals than any other. 
It was the birthplace of the painters Guido, 
Albano, and Barbiere ; the astronomer, Mar- 
sigli; the naturalist, Galvani, and other celeb¬ 
rities. It is from this city that the celebrated 
Bologna sausages obtain their name. The de¬ 
mand for this article was evidently greater 
than the supply, as was indicated by the 
brevity of the caudal appendages of some of 
the animals. 

On our way to Venice we stopped at Mantua. 
The country is rather flat; and we observed 
peasants cutting clover, the heads of which are 
of a bright crimson. The stalks grow taller 
and the heads much longer than the clover in 
this country. 

Our entrance into Mantua was made with 
some mental enthusiasm, no doubt, on account 
of its association with the name of Virgil. It 
is a walled town on the river Po, from which 
stream its moats can be rapidly filled; these, 
now useless modes of defence, were first con- 


By Boat and Rail, 87 

structed around it by the Emperor Charle¬ 
magne. 

In our travels through Italy, the songsters 
we heard were the skylark, the nightingale, the 
thrush, the linnet, and the cuckoo, that lays 
her eggs in other birds’ nests, and like 

“ The whippoorwill, her name her only song.” 


CHAPTER XVII. 


ENICE, aquatic Venice, built on piles 



V and occupying seventy islands, is sepa¬ 
rated by numerous canals, which are crossed 
by three hundred and fifty bridges; thus the 
streets are canals, whose hacks are boats. The 
footways are from ten to fifteen feet wide, and 
the only wheeled vehicle that can be used is 
the wheelbarrow. The palaces resemble a fleet, 
floating upon the waters, from the windows of 
which one could fish, and bathe from the front 


door. 


This, then, is blue-skied Venice, of which the 
poets have written so much, with her sweet 
language and bitter smells. The water of the 
Grand Canal is of a bright green color, making 
a rich contrast with the deep blue of the sky 
and the brilliant hue of the marble houses. 
The gondolas move through the waterways 
swiftly and almost silently. At night, they 
carry lanterns, and then occasionally can be 
heard the sound of the guitar and the voice of 


88 


By Boat and Rail, 89 

singers, as they glide along through the liquid 
streets. 

The palaces are famous, and the workman¬ 
ship upon some of the doors is of the most 
exquisite style. The palace of the Doges 
recalls all that was glorious and cruel in Vene¬ 
tian history. It is filled with allegorical frescos 
and rich paintings by Titian, Veronese, and 
others. Of the seventy-two Doges, who have 
ruled over Venice, the portraits of seventy-one 
hang upon the walls ; the one whose portrait 
was not placed there was Marino Falieri, who 
was beheaded for the crime of endeavoring to 
overthrow the Republic, and he is represented 
by a black space. The palace is connected with 
the prison, which has two stories of dark cells 
below the water-level, by the Bridge of Sighs, 
which has been made so famous by Lord Byron 
in his Childe Harold. 

The Rialto is still, as it was in the days of 
Shylock, the place of news. The island of 
Rialto at the bend of the Grand Canal is the 
largest piece of ground in the city. On it was 
built the first house in Venice. 

St. Mark is the great historical church, being 
built in the form of a Greek cross, and having 


90 


By Boat and Rail, 


a central dome with four smaller ones, all being 
surmounted by crosses. It has been made the 
receptacle of historical paintings. This cathe¬ 
dral is situated on the Piazza di San Marco, 
and every day, at noon, thousands of pigeons 
are fed at the expense of the government ; so 
tame have they become, that they will feed 
from the hand. These pigeons are protected 
by law ; just as the turkey-buzzard is in some 
of our states, though not for the same 
purpose. 

In front of the Piazzetta, which opens upon 
the sea, stand two magnificent granite obelisks, 
on one of which is a statue of St. Theodore, 
and on the other, the winged Lion of St. Mark, 
which was the coat-of-arms of the Venetian 
Republic. Over the doorway of St. Mark are 
four celebrated bronze horses, which were 
brought to Venice from Constantinople in 
1205 ; tradition says that they are very ancient, 
and were found in Alexandria by Caesar Augus¬ 
tus, when he conquered Antony, and by him 
were taken to Rome. When Constantine be¬ 
came Emperor, and moved his capital to Con¬ 
stantinople, he took these horses with him. 
During the reign of Napoleon I. they were 


By Boat and Rail. 


91 


removed from Venice to Paris, but after his 
abdication they were restored to the Venetians. 
They are the only horses they have and are 
much prized. Though great travellers and ex¬ 
ceedingly old, they are still sound and full of 
metal. 

Many of the elegant palaces have been con¬ 
verted into furniture and bead bazaars. The 
manufacture of peculiar and beautiful beads is 
one of the principal industries of Venice; on 
the island of Murano there are thousands of 
artists employed entirely in this branch of trade. 
The glass is first drawn into long tubes made 
in a variety of colors, then the colored tubes 
are twisted together, thereby blending all into 
every shade of the rainbow ; after which they 
are cut into little pieces and stirred upon hot 
pans, until the sharp edges are rendered smooth 
and the bead round. Hundreds of children are 
employed stringing them. Any one, who has 
once visited Venice and witnessed the manu¬ 
facture of these beads, would recognize them 
in any part of the world. It is said that tons 
of them are shipped every year into Africa for 
traffic. 

Recently there has been built a breakwater, 


92 


By Boat and Rail, 


which extends two miles into the sea. This 
has greatly improved the facilities for shipping. 

The women are engaged in lace-making and 
the manufacture of artificial flowers, and the 
men in wood-carving and the making of superb 
glassware. 


CHAPTER XVIIL 


Q uitting Venice and her palaces, and 
crossing the blue Adriatic, we reached 
Trieste, the chief seaport of the Aus¬ 
trian Empire, and a thoroughly cosmopolitan 
city. The fish-market is fine. The epicurean 
fish is the tunny, which frequently measures 
six feet in length and weighs from five hundred 
to one thousand pounds. In appearance it 
somewhat resembles a gigantic mackerel, and 
has a fine flavor. The catching of these fish 
forms one of the chief occupations of the 
people. 

While strolling around the old town we lost 
our way and were unable to extricate ourselves 
from the crooked streets. Appeals were made 
to several natives as to the location of the 
Vienna railroad station, but they were unable 
to understand, because they called Vienna 
Wien.” Finally, by imitating the noise of a 
locomotive, they took in the situation and con¬ 
ducted us to the station. 

93 


94 


By Boat and Rail, 


The custom-house officers and police of 
Austria are very diligent, one going through 
your baggage, while the other examines your 
passport. Probably Vienna is the gayest capi¬ 
tal of Europe, its only rival being Paris, and is 
equal to the French capital in the opportuni¬ 
ties afforded for amusement and society. Its 
streets, arched with lime and horse-chestnut 
trees, were wide and handsome, crowded with 
monuments and statuary of celebrated Aus¬ 
trians, and the gardens were delicious with the 
bloom of exotic flowers. An agricultural exhi¬ 
bition was in progress, crowded with all kinds 
of domestic animals, from bantams to Percheron 
horses. The spectators, under the shade of 
the wide-spreading trees, quaffed kegs of beer 
and destroyed large quantities of bretzels and 
mal-odorous cheese, to show that they relished 
the occasion and honored the national bever¬ 
age. There are both electrical and horse rail¬ 
roads, and the fare is but four cents. 

Vienna is the residence of the imperial 
family. The royal jewel office and museum 
are filled with curiosities. Here is the corona¬ 
tion regalia of Charlemagne, which was taken 
from his tomb at Aix-la-Chapelle, and which 


By Boat and Rail, 95 

has been used at all the coronations of the 
emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and 
Austria. There are also on exhibition a tooth 
which is said to have belonged to St. John the 
Baptist, a portion of the coat of St. John the 
Divine, and a piece of the table-cloth used at 
the Last Supper; all of which statements you 
are at liberty to believe if you so desire. There 
are also the crown, sceptre, and robes which 
were worn by Napoleon I. when he was 
crowned, at Milan, as King of Lombardy; the 
cradle of the King of Rome, the son of Napo¬ 
leon ; the richly jewelled sword of Tamerlane, 
with its blade of finest steel; and the battle-axe 
of Montezuma, sent from Mexico by the ill- 
fated Emperor Maximilian. 

Two miles from the city is the Schonbrunn, 
the summer residence of the Emperor; the 
palace is richly furnished, and was occupied by 
Napoleon I. when he was in possession of the 
Austrian capital. While in this palace he had 
two doors at the entrance of his bed-chamber, 
and between them a guard stood who filled up 
the entire space ; thus access could not be 
gained to the Emperor’s sleeping apartments 
while the guard was on duty. This palace was 


96 


By Boat and Rail, 


also the home of his son, the King of Rome, 
who, after the abdication, was taken by his 
Austrian mother from France back to her own 
country, and given the title of the Duke de 
Reichstadt. The young Prince died in this 
palace in 1832. The room is unchanged, and 
the bed upon which he died is still in the same 
position. He was always guarded by his grand¬ 
father, the Emperor Francis I., for fear that the 
French would kidnap him and make him Em¬ 
peror of France. 

In the Capuchin church, which is the burial- 
place of Austrian royalty, there are seventy 
metal caskets, containing the remains of every 
emperor since the days of Matthias, who died 
in 1619 ; but the most sought for is that of the 
young Napoleon. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


T he journey from Vienna to Berlin is 
delightful, the country being dotted 
with small towns, extensive forests, well culti¬ 
vated farms, and hills terraced with vineyards 
and covered with windmills. We made a 
short stop at Prague, a city of universities and 
revolutions. It was here that the Hussites, 
under Ziska, fought for the Reformation, and 
it was from the windows of the Hradschin, the 
palace of the Bohemian kings, that the Prot¬ 
estants threw Martinitz and Slawata, two 
unpopular members of the imperial govern¬ 
ment. It was this act that initiated the Thirty 
Years’ War. Here, in 1348, the first free uni¬ 
versity in Germany was planted by the 
Emperor Charles IV., after whom it was 
named. At the head of this school were John 
Huss and Jerome of Prague, who opposed the 
Roman Catholics. 

From Prague we proceeded to Dresden, 
which is located on the Elbe. This river 
7 97 


98 


By Boat and Rail, 

divides the city into two parts, across which is 
a bridge. This bridge was built with the 
money procured from the sale of indulgences, 
granted by the Pope to the people who wished 
to eat butter and meat during Lent. One of 
the piers of this bridge was blown up by Mar¬ 
shal Davoust on his retreat from the city. 

The museum is filled with war implements: 
the iron-shod flails, with which the Hussites 
fought the Catholics; the battle-axes, spears, 
and armors which were used before the intro¬ 
duction of gunpowder; the boots which were 
worn by Napoleon at the battle of Dresden, 
and a pair of his satin slippers used at his 
coronation; also the cocked hat of Peter the 
Great. In the royal palace is the “Green 
Vault,” which is a mine of jewels, richer far 
than those of Arabian tales. 

From Dresden we went to Berlin, which 
boasts of eight thousand acres of public parks, 
a university of three thousand students, and 
an enormous library, always open. The art gal- 
laries are hung with pictures by native artists. 

Its streets are regular and exceedingly clean, 
the most noticeable being the Unter den Lin¬ 
den, which has a double row of trees. This 
makes a delightful promenade, and was the 


By Boat and Rail. 


99 


favorite drive of the late Emperor Wilhelm I. 
Many of the squares are named after the great 
princes of Brandenburg and kings of Prussia. 
The police are polite and vigilant, and the 
landlords and hackmen have fixed prices. 

Every boy in Berlin can read, as the govern¬ 
ment compels him to go to school; and, at 
some time in his life, every man is a soldier. 
The Protestant religion prevails, and the ten¬ 
dency of the people is towards a free govern¬ 
ment. They speak the best German, have the 
fewest poor, and the fairest laws of any people 
on the continent. The women are pretty, 
healthy, and strong, and appear to be frugal, 
nevertheless they are all waist. 

The city owns a number of public baths, 
which are open from June to September. The 
population is about a million and a half, and 
during the year about half a million people 
visit the city. All the meat used is subject to 
an inquisitorial examination by inspectors, and 
that which does not come up to the standard 
is seized and burned. 

The present Emperor seems to be able and 
competent, and in case of a dispute with 
other nations no doubt he would be able to 
hold his own with pen or sword. 


CHAPTER XX. 


FTER enjoying the sights of the capital 



xV of Germany, we again started for the 
south of Europe, passing through Leipsic, one 
of the university cities of Germany, its college 
being second in age to that of Prague. This 
city is also noted for its fairs, three being held 
annually, each lasting nearly a month. Leip¬ 
sic is a famous book mart; there is hardly a 
volume published that does not at some time 
find its way into the city. 

The old house called “Auerbach’s Cellar,” 
near the market, has the reputation of having 
been the haunt of the celebrated Dr. Faustus, 
and in the same cellar Goethe laid the scene of 
his famous story of Faust and Mephistopheles. 

On the plains surrounding Leipsic, the great 
battle between Napoleon with 160,000 men 
and the allies under the Emperors of Russia 
and Austria with 240,000, was fought. The 
contest lasted three days, and is known as 
“ The Battle of Nations ” Here Prince 


100 


By Boat and Rail, 


lOI 


Poinatowiski, the Polish prince, and one of 
Napoleon’s marshals, lost his life in the river 
Elster, when, with a handful of brave country¬ 
men, he covered the retreat of the French 
army. 

Our. route took us through Nuremberg, 
Ratisbon, Munich, and Verona, to Milan. 

Nuremberg has about eighty thousand in¬ 
habitants, who reside in houses of antique style 
of architecture, with gabled roofs and stone 
balconies. It has a double line of fortified 
walls guarded by seventy towers. 

Ratisbon has a population of thirty thousand. 
Its chief places of interest are the Rathhaus 
and its old cathedral. In the former are located 
the dungeons and'chamber of torture. In the 
latter are still shown the implements of torture, 
such as the rack, the chair of spikes, the ropes 
and pulleys, and the wooden horse with back 
as sharp as a razor. 

Milan, one of the principal cities of Italy, 
with a population of over two hundred thou¬ 
sand, is situated in the centre of the great 
plains of Lombardy. The city is circular, and 
is surrounded by a wall which has ten gates. 
Here is the cathedral, one of the most noted 


102 By Boat and RaiL 

churches in Europe, having a dome three 
hundred and thirty-five feet high. In this 
edifice, in 1805, Napoleon was crowned King of 
Italy. He created the city, the capital of the 
new kingdom. Close to the cathedral is the 
imperial palace, which was the residence of 
Napoleon whenever he visited Milan. 

From here we went to Turin, the old capital 
of Piedmont, which has about the same num¬ 
ber of inhabitants as Milan. The people are 
industrious, and in comfortable circumstances, 
but few beggars being among them. Leaving 
Turin, we continued our journey towards 
Geneva, which carried us through the Mount 
Cenis tunnel, one of the greatest pieces of 
engineering skill that has ever been accom¬ 
plished. The tunnel is nearly eight miles long, 
and 9,700 feet above sea-level. The work was 
commenced January 25, 1863, and completed 
December 31, 1870. The work was carried on 
from both the French and the Italian sides of 
the Alps, and, on the last day, the two en¬ 
gineering forces met exactly half-way through 
the mountain. 

On a subsequent visit to Europe we passed 
from Italy into Switzerland through the Mount 


By Boat and Rail, 


103 


St. Gothard tunnel, which is over nine miles 
long, and completed in 1881. After passing 
into France, you enter the highly cultivated 
department of Savoy. The route takes the 
traveller through the ancient town of Cham- 
bery, which is noted for its manufacture of silk 
gauze. A ride of less than two hours lands 
you in Geneva, which is the principal and best 
known city of Switzerland. 


CHAPTER XXL 


ENEVA is situated at the foot of Lake 



Vjr Geneva, which is fifty-three miles long, 
eight, wide, and, in some places, 1,150 feet 
deep. The lake is fed by the Rhone, and a 
large number of little streams, which flow into 
it from the snow-clad mountains. The country 
around Geneva indicates prosperity, as all the 
farms are neat and clean. 

The city is an ancient one, having a popula¬ 
tion of fifty thousand, and lies on each side of 
the Rhone. A number of terraced walks are 
laid out on the old wall, which once defended 
the city. The Cathedral of St. Pierre is situ¬ 
ated in the most elevated part of the city. 
Geneva was the first town of Europe to accept 
the doctrines of the Reformation. Its univer¬ 
sity was founded by John Calvin, who lived 
and died here. It was the native place of the 
celebrated Jean Jacques Rousseau, to whose 
memory a statue was erected in one of the 
public squares. 


104 


By Boat and Rail, 105 

There are no beg'gars on the streets of 
Geneva. They are a forbidden luxury. The 
Genevese say that there is no necessity for 
these mendicants, as there is always an abun¬ 
dance of work. The chief industries are the 
manufacture of watches, musical boxes, jewelry, 
and curios. Over seven thousand people get 
their living by these branches of industry, and 
every year over a hundred thousand watches 
and hundreds of thousands of musical instru¬ 
ments are made. 

The climate is variable, but the air is pure. 
In and around Geneva there are many places of 
interest, the lake furnishing the greater portion. 
At its upper end is the castle of Chillon, which 
is out in the lake on a barren rock. It was 
built for a prison, and in it was confined Bonni- 
vard, for trying to free Geneva from the yoke 
of Amadeus IV., Duke of Savoy. He was 
chained in one of the dungeons for six years. 
Lord Byron has immortalized the castle by his 
famous poem. The Prisoner of Chillon. 

Vevay and Lausanne, two towns on the 
north side of the lake, are favorite resorts. In 
the latter city John Kemble, the celebrated 
actor, lived for several years after his retirement 


io6 By Boat a 7 id Rail, 

from the stage. Here also lived Gibbon, the 
historian, while he wrote the Decline and Fall 
of the Roman Empire. In the cathedral the 
visitor is shown a piece of the true Cross, some 
of the Virgin’s hair, and a rib of Mary Mag¬ 
dalene. 


CHAPTER XXII. 



O reach Mt. Blanc from Geneva, we took 


X a diligence in the morning and drove 
through a lovely country to the village of 
Chamouni, which is in a valley of the same 
name. The night was spent at one of the ex¬ 
cellent inns, and the next morning the ascent 
was commenced. 

Our party consisted of six, all well mounted 
upon mules. The route was via the Mer-de- 
Glace. This wonderful sea of ice is broken, 
here and there, by fissures, in whose unknown 
depths can be heard the gurgling of the waters. 
It is perfectly clear, but, on account of its den¬ 
sity and thickness, has a dark-blue appearance. 
The Montanvert is one of the resting points, 
from which is obtained a good view of the Mer. 
The next rest is at the Jardin, which is a small, 
earth-covered rock, seemingly out of place in 
this wilderness of ice. The trip up the moun¬ 
tain is very exciting, requiring a sharp lookout 
on the part of the traveller, lest he may disap- 


107 


io8 By Boat and RaiL 

pear down some chasm. The trip, however, 
pays. The downward journey is a more rapid 
one, and sometimes against the will of the in. 
dividual, and it is then that lives are mostly 
lost, by missing a foothold. Away goes the 
unfortunate one down the declivities, as if he 
were on a toboggan slide ! 

The next day we returned to Geneva. From 
here we went to Berne. The country was 
bright with green fields, and the grass looked 
like a thick velvet carpet, on which were feed¬ 
ing large herds of cattle. The farms were 
small but well cared for, and the dairies pre¬ 
sented a very inviting appearance. 

Berne, having a population of about forty 
thousand, is one of the finest cities of Europe. 
Its name is simply the German for our English 
word “ Bear.” Tradition says that Berthold 
V., a Swiss duke, killed a bear on the site of 
the present city, and, in commemoration of the 
event, commenced building this town. It is 
the capital of the Swiss Confederation. Streams 
of water flow through its streets, as in Salt 
Lake City ; the water is clear and limpid from 
the Bernese Alps, which can be seen in the 
distance. 


By Boat and Rail, 109 

Among the curious sights of the city are the 
old-fashioned watch-towers and the clock-tower ; 
the latter is located in the centre of the town, 
and, just as the hour is struck, a wooden rooster 
comes out of a door, crows twice, and flaps its 
wings; then a puppet appears, with a hammer 
in its hand, and strikes the hour upon a bell; 
after this a procession of bears comes out and 
passes before the figure of Duke Berthold, who 
gives a yawn for each hour, lowers his sceptre, 
and the figures disappear until the next hour 
comes around. 

There is also a bear-pit, in which a number 
of these animals are confined to keep up the 
tradition. Into the pit an Englishman once 
fell; and the keepers were much put out, as it 
was not the hour for feeding the animals. 

From Berne we turned our faces towards 
France by way of Basel. It is a city of about 
fifty thousand people, and is situated on the 
Rhine, close to the famous Black Forest. The 
chief industry is the manufacture of ribbons. 
From Basel we crossed into France and pro¬ 
ceeded to Paris, through one of the most fertile 
sections of country that can be found anywhere 
on the continent. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


FTER a brief stay in the gay capital of 



France we proceeded to Calais, and 
crossed the channel to Dover. From here we 
returned to London, pleased once more to hear 
our native language spoken. 

From London we took the train for Chester, 
passing through Rugby, noted as an educa¬ 
tional centre, and as the place where Thomas 
Hughes, the author, laid the scene of his cele¬ 
brated book, Tom Brozvns School Days. As 
we steamed along, the ivy-covered church and 
the famous school-house were visible. The 
next town of importance was one that recalled 
to memory Chester County—Birmingham, one 
of the famous manufacturing cities of England. 
It has a population of about 300,000, and is 
built upon the banks of the river Rea. It is 
famous for its make of hardware, swords, and 
fire-arms. It was here that the discovery of 
electroplating was made. With regard to 
health, it is one of the healthiest cities in the 


no 


By Boat and Rail. 


Ill 


kingdom. The cause of the low death-rate 
has been attributed to the large quantity of 
vitriol that is used in the factories. 

A ride of sixty miles carried us to Chester, 
after which, Chester, Delaware County, and 
West Chester were named. This is one of the 
oldest cities in England. It is situated on the 
river Dee, and was the head-quarters of the 
Twelfth Legion of the Roman army, when it 
came to England in the year 6o a.d. It has 
been called Neomagus, after Magus, a grand¬ 
son of Japhet, who, legend says, founded it 
about two hundred years after the Flood ; next 
it was called Caerlleon, in honor of the giant 
Leon Vaur; then Caerleil, after a British king. 
After the Romans took possession, they named 
it Caer-legion, but the Latin historians called it 
Castra, which means a camp. The name went 
through the following evolutions, Deunana, 
Deva, Devana, Civitas, Legan Chester, Lege 
Chester, West Chester, and finally Chester. 
It was a walled city, and portions of the wall 
are still preserved, but instead of a means of 
defence it is used as a promenade, being nearly 
two miles in length. The wall was pierced by 
four gates. There is an excellent museum, in 


I 12 


By Boat and Rail. 


which have been collected from the excava¬ 
tions, Roman coins, pottery, altars, works of 
art, columns, tesselated pavements, monuments, 
and tablets bearing Roman inscriptions. 

The cathedral, which is of Gothic architec¬ 
ture, is very imposing and elaborately embel¬ 
lished. There are a number of other churches, 
all of which are interesting. A Friends’ meet¬ 
ing-house, is of the same plain and unassuming 
appearance that distinguishes those in our own 
country. 

In 1643, Chester underwent a siege of two 
years, the result of a conflict between the king 
and the people, in which the former came off 
victorious. The castle, in which the Earls of 
Chester lived, was built during the reign of 
William the Conqueror, in 1060, but the origi¬ 
nal edifice has been supplanted by a more 
modern building, although upon the same site. 
About three miles from Chester is Eaton Hall, 
the residence of the Marquis of Westminster, 
who is one of the richest men in England. 

From Chester we proceeded to Liverpool, 
where we took a steamer for Belfast, passing the 
Isle of Man, noted for its tailless cats. This 
island is about as large as Delaware County, 


By Boat and Rail, 


1^3 

Pennsylvania. The people speak the Celtic 
language, and, along the coast, are chiefly en¬ 
gaged in the herring and cod fisheries; in the 
interior there are good grazing lands. 

Belfast has a world-wide reputation as being 
the city where the best Irish linen is manufac¬ 
tured—in fact, the finest in the world. In one 
of the mills, where over two thousand hands 
are employed, they turn out enough linen to 
shirt the whole country. Goods are cheap and 
so is labor. Women work in the mills for a 
shilling a day. In Belfast, as in every town of 
importance in Ireland, the English soldier is 
stationed; which has much the same effect 
upon Irishmen that a red flag has upon a bull. 
The British vigilance has a tendency to keep 
them in a continual state of excitement. In the 
province of Ulster, County Antrim, north of 
Belfast, a Celtic colony from Scotland settled, 
who became the progenitors of the Scotch-Irish. 

Ireland is a lovely country of lakes and undu¬ 
lating pastures. The atmosphere is moist and 
the temperature even. Its chief agricultural 
products are potatoes, barley, flax, grass, and 
oats. 

One fourth of the entire acreage of the 


By Boat and Rail. 


114 

country is under cultivation. It is free from 
snakes and toads, and is filled with legends, 
shamrock, and blackthorn. The people are 
honest and free-hearted. They worship their 
heroes, love their whiskey, are loyal to the 
Pope, and hate their English masters. 

Dublin, the capital, is the residence of the 
Lord-Lieutenant, who is always an English¬ 
man. Originally it was called “ Bally-ath- 
cliath,” which means the “ Ford of the Hur¬ 
dles,” but more recently the name was changed 
to Dubh-linn, or “ Black Pool.” It is one of 
the chief cities in the British Empire. The 
river Liffey divides it, and along the water 
front are great embankments, constructed of 
granite, and lined with magnificent quays. 

Dublin Castle is the residence of the Lord- 
Lieutenant. It is an interesting edifice, as in 
its construction every style of architecture 
seems to have been combined. The council- 
chamber contains the portraits of all the Lord- 
Lieutenants. In St. Patrick’s Hall, another 
room in the Castle, which is over eighty feet 
long, forty, wide, and thirty-eight, high, the 
ceiling is painted in three parts. In the centre 
is a circular representation of George HI. sup- 


By Boat and Rail. 115 

porting Liberty and Justice; the second fresco 
is the conversion of the Irish by St. Patrick, 
and the third is that of the submission of the 
Irish chiefs to Henry 11 . In another part of 
the castle are the busts of St. Peter, the Vir¬ 
gin, St. Patrick, Brian Boru, Dean Swift, and 
others. 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, built in 1190, is an 
imposing edifice. The tower is of solid blue 
limestone, surmounted by a granite spire. The 
cathedral is built in the early English or 
pointed style of architecture. In it are the 
monuments of many celebrated persons. The 
other historical church is Christ Church, which 
is one hundred and fifty years older than the 
cathedral. In it Richard II. conferred knight¬ 
hood upon four Irish kings. The impostor 
Simnell was crowned in it as Edward VI., the 
crown used for the occasion being one that 
rested upon the head of the statue of the Vir¬ 
gin, and taken from the Church of St. Mary. 

The streets of Dublin are well looked after. 
The most attractive is called Sackville, one 
hundred and twenty feet wide; on it are the 
post-office and Nelson’s pillar. On the latter 
are engraved the names of the prominent vie- 


By Boat and Rail, 


116 

tones of the Admiral. The shaft is seventy-two 
feet high with a capital of seven feet, on the 
top of which is a colossal statue of Lord Nel¬ 
son leaning against the capstan of a vessel. 
The column is hollow, containing a stairway, so 
that it can be ascended. There are also statues, 
in other parts of the city, of William III. and 
the four Georges. 

Phoenix Park, situated upon the river, con¬ 
tains nearly two thousand acres, and is seven 
miles in circumference. All through it are 
scattered magnificent elms. The Phoenix Pil¬ 
lar is of Portland stone and has on the top a 
phoenix upon its funeral pyre, with wings 
outspread. 

The Wellington testimonial is a shaft two 
hundred feet high,—resembling Cleopatra’s 
needle. On it, in bas-relief medallions, are the 
names of all the victories won by the Duke of 
Wellington. The grass in the park is so 
thickly set, that the footprints of the horses 
cannot be seen. We rode around the city in a 
jaunting car, which is an ugly, uncomfortable, 
two-wheeled vehicle, the passengers sitting back 
to back. The roads, however, are as smooth as 
a tenpin alley, and not barred by toll-gates. 


By Boat and Rail, 117 

We visited the world-renowned Guinness 
brewery, where they turn out two thousand 
hogsheads of beer a day, and waste more than 
the ordinary breweries make. The beer can be 
seen running over the floor in streams. 

The country around Dublin is highly culti¬ 
vated. We never saw a finer grass-growing 
country. It grows everywhere, even on the 
stone fences, which are concealed by it. The 
cattle stand in it up to their knees, and it is 
not unusual to cut three crops in a year. The 
cows are good, round, and plump, and a choice 
one costs a hundred dollars, which is a peasant’s 
fortune. We have seen some of their hunting 
horses, which are, as Shakespeare says: 

“ Long-hoofd, short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long, 
Broad breast, full eyes, small head, and nostril wide. 
High crest, short ears, straight legs and passing strong. 
Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttocks, tender hide.” 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


ROM Dublin we went to Cork, which is 



X partially built upon the mainland, and 
partially on an island at the mouth of the river 
Lee. As it is the head-quarters of the south¬ 
ern military district of Ireland, there is always 
a large garrison there, composed of English 
and Scottish soldiers. Cork is also the seat of 
the courts for the southern part of the island, 
and is therefore a place of considerable import¬ 
ance. The harbor is so large that, it is said, 
the entire British navy could find a safe anchor¬ 
age. The city is one of the greatest manufac¬ 
turing places in Ireland, and thousands of 
vessels from all parts of the world visit it every 
year. The surrounding country is undulating, 
and the coast indented with a great number of 


bays. 


Southwest from Cork, thirteen miles, is the 
town of Kinsale, and four miles from it is the 
Old Head of Kinsale, a high promontory pro¬ 
jecting three miles into the Atlantic Ocean. 


By Boat and Rail, 119 

On this high and dangerous rock is a light¬ 
house, which can be seen twenty miles away. 
This warning light was not on the headland in 
1822, when my father was wrecked there on 
the night of April 22d, on which occasion every 
cabin passenger on the packet ship Albion^ 
bound from New York to Liverpool, was 
drowned except himself. Securing a single 
foothold, he clung to a perpendicular rock, 
which rose two hundred feet above him. Here 
he remained for several hours, with the spray 
of the angry waves dashing over him. As soon 
as it was light the people descended the rocks 
as far as they could, and dropped him a rope, 
which he fastened around his body and was 
drawn to a place of safety. He was taken to 
the hospitable mansion of Mr. James B. Gib¬ 
bons, where he lay for several weeks, receiving 
every attention. 

After viewing the scene where this disaster 
occurred, we returned to Kinsale, and from 
there we went to the renowned lakes of 
Killarney. They resemble the Mirror Lakes 
of the Yosemite Valley, though much larger. 
A member of Parliament owns the land around 
these lakes. His park is filled with game, and 


120 


By Boat and Rail, 


his stud of horses and pack of hounds are con¬ 
sidered the best in Ireland. The hounds in 
England have a good nose, but those of our 
country surpass them in tongue and foot. 

On the occasion of our visit to the lakes the 
weather was disagreeable, being very wet and 
cold, consequently our stay was of short dura¬ 
tion. On our trips through Ireland we noticed 
many trees and flowers similar to those found 
in the United States. The shamrock, which 
is similar to clover, grows with vigor. There 
are fewer birds in Ireland than in America, but 
they have the skylark, one of the sweetest 
songsters, which poises in its upward flight and 
fills the air with melody. 

Ireland is a good country for the rich man, 
but a bad one for the poor man. The Irish 
people seem to be happy, for they are always 
in a good humor and full of natural wit, which 
indicates that they all have some time in life 
made a pilgrimage to Blarney Castle and kissed 
the famous stone. They are also ready with 
their shillalahs, and will crack a crown with the 
same good humor as they do their jokes. 

It is said of the inhabitants of the United 
Kingdom : “ An Englishman is never happy 


By Boat and Rail. 


121 


but when he is miserable; a Scotchman is 
never at home but when he is abroad ; and an 
Irishman is never at peace but when he is 
fighting.” 

From Killarney we proceeded to Queens¬ 
town, and took steamer for our native land. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


HORTLY after the opening of the Union 



Pacific Railroad an excursion across the 


continent was given, of which we availed our¬ 
selves. We stopped at several points of inter¬ 
est. It is not necessary to describe any of the 
cities or the country between the Atlantic 
coast and Omaha, as they were even at that 
time not considered in the wild and woolly 
West. At the time of the trip Omaha was a 
frontier town of about twenty-five hundred in¬ 
habitants, whereas now it is a busy city of one 
hundred and forty thousand, the old frontier 
town having given way to modern improve¬ 
ments. 

Cheyenne, one of the stations on the route, 
having at that time three or four hundred in¬ 
habitants, is now the capital of Wyoming. 
The journey was through a sparsely settled 
country to Ogden, where we left the main line 
and went down to Salt Lake City, the Jerusa¬ 
lem of the Mormons—with a population of 


122 


By Boat and Rail. 


123 


fifty thousand. It is situated on the banks of 
the Jordan River, which connects Lake Utah, 
a fresh-water lake, with Salt Lake. In this 
particular there is a resemblance to the Holy 
Land, with its fresh-water Sea of Galilee and 
the Dead Sea. 

The city is laid out with streets crossing each 
other at right angles, one hundred and thirty 
feet in width. The houses are all set back 
twenty feet from the street, the intervening 
space being planted with trees and shrubbery. 
On each side of the streets streams of clear 
water flow, used to irrigate the lawns and gar¬ 
dens. The great attractions of Salt Lake City 
are the Mormon Tabernacle, the Temple, the 
Endowment House, and the Tithing House. 
The first is an oval structure two hundred and 
thirty feet long, one hundred and thirty, wide, 
and seventy, high. This great assembly-room 
will seat eight or ten thousand persons, and is 
the largest place of worship in America. On 
the day of our visit, which was Sunday, the 
Sacrament was administered. Great baskets of 
bread, and silver tankards filled with water in¬ 
stead of wine, were placed upon tables, be¬ 
fore which stood the bishops, who broke the 


124 Boat and Rail, 

bread and passed it and the water to the vast 
multitude. 

On our first visit the foundations of the 
temple, which was in course of construction, 
were level with the ground, the walls being 
sixteen feet in thickness. It is not the inten¬ 
tion of the Mormons to use this as a place of 
ordinary Sunday worship, but to use it on 
special occasions, taking the place of the En¬ 
dowment House, where all who enter the faith 
are initiated into the mysteries of Mormonism. 

In the tabernacle there is a magnificent 
organ, which is the largest in America. Mr. 
Drexel, of Philadelphia, who was one of the 
party, was permitted to perform upon the in¬ 
strument. The acoustic properties of the 
tabernacle are so perfect that the slightest 
whisper can be heard in any part of the 
building. 

On our second visit to Salt Lake City the 
temple had been built to the square. This 
edifice when completed will cost about two 
million dollars. 

The Tithing House is managed by the 
bishops, who take from every Mormon one 
tenth of his products, the same amount of his 


By Boat and Rail, 


125 


yearly profits, and exact one tenth of his time 
for the benefit of the Church. By this system 
of tithing they get three-tenths of their follow¬ 
ers’ subsistence. The co-operative store is the 
great warehouse of the “ Saints,” in which are 
gathered the results of the tithing. On our 
visits to the city we did not see Brigham Young, 
as he was out of town, but Bishop Hunter, a 
native of Chester County, politely showed us 
around. 

In the northern part of the city are the warm 
springs, which are strongly impregnated with 
sulphurated hydrogen. The water from these 
springs is conducted to bathing-houses, which 
are much frequented. 

A curious custom prevalent among the 
“ Latter Day Saints ” is the painting upon 
their signs a solitary eye, and the words 
“ Holiness to the Lord.” The men, prior to 
the passage of the law making polygamy a 
criminal offence against the United States, 
seemed to have more wives than horses. Out¬ 
wardly, the plurality of wives appears to have 
been abolished ; but, it is said, the practice is 
still secretly observed. They seem to be of 
the same opinion as the Esquimaux, who say 


126 By Boat and Rail. 

a man who has three wives in this world is 
sure of heaven. 

Great Salt Lake is ten or twelve miles to the 
northwest of the city. It is seventy miles 
long and thirty, wide, containing several islands. 
The water is twenty-two per cent. salt. It is 
so salty that it contains no animal life; and it 
is so buoyant that a person can float in it with 
the greatest ease. Upon assuming an upright 
posture, he will sink only to his shoulders. 

Along the shores are small, irregular forms, 
about the size of eggs, which are composed 
almost entirely of pure salt, caused by evapo¬ 
ration. The lake is without an outlet. In 
addition to the Jordan, the Bear River and 
several smaller streams flow into it. Thewater 
is becoming fresher, and the lake is getting 
larger. 

Returning to Salt Lake City, we proceeded 
back to Ogden, and resumed our journey to 
the Pacific, stopping off at Stockton, from 
which place we went to the Yosemite Valley. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 



E left the train at Stockton, and started 


in stages for the Great Valley, by way 


of Copperopolis, a town which during the war 
was thronged with miners and their wagons, 
and did a thriving business. Its success was 
due to a rich find of copper ore, which in those 
days was very valuable ; but when we passed 
through the town the houses were empty and 
the streets deserted. 

From Copperopolis, we continued our jour¬ 
ney through Sonora and Chinese Camp. 

As we began to ascend the mountain, three 
or four of the party walked in advance of the 
stage. On arriving near the summit, we 
observed several Indians moving about in the 
bush. Two of them came out, carrying their 
rifles. On being asked if they had seen any 
bear, they answered in pantomime, by holding 
up the index finger and the two little fingers, 
conveying the idea of a large bear and two 
cubs. 


127 


128 


By Boat and Rail, 

The Indians inquired of us : “ Much men ? ” 
My companion excitedly and quickly answered : 
“There are ten stage loads right near”; at 
which the Indians responded with a grunt, and 
disappeared in the brush. One of the party 
remarked : “ We made a narrow escape. Those 
‘ red devils ’ were not hunting bear, but hair!' 

We observed large coveys of black-crested 
partridges, and the McCall partridge ; the latter 
named after General George A. McCall, who 
discovered this variety. We also saw a number 
of ground-squirrels, which resembled our gray 
squirrel. 

The night brought us to Garrote, consisting 
of a wayside tavern and two or three houses. 
While resting for the night, there was a dis¬ 
turbance between some miners, who had taken 
possession of the bar-room, in the absence of 
the landlord. Several shots were exchanged 
between the quarrelling men, and one or two 
were wounded. In the morning, when we 
asked about the unpleasantness, it was treated 
by the residents as merely a little episode, 
which had been forgotten by them between 
the time of its occurrence and sunrise. 

After breakfast, we mounted our mustangs. 


By Boat and Rail, 


129 


and started for the Yosemite. A colony of 
yellow-jackets had built their nest in the trail. 
A greaser boy, who was acting as guide, rode 
into the nest and stirred them up. Thereupon, 
they vigorously attacked the head of the pro¬ 
cession, and the horses seemed suddenly to 
have business in an opposite direction. Amid 
the plunging of the horses and the screaming 
of the women, the yellow-jackets kept strictly 
to work, as they were striking for their homes, 
and had their firesides with them. In the 
excitement, several of the party who had dis¬ 
played their unskilful horsemanship, in the 
morning, by mounting on the off-side, of 
course were thrown ; but, lighting on the 
largest part of their bodies, only sustained a 
slight concussion. 

The trail is through a forest, crossing many 
small and rapid streams, and the trees are 
blazed at intervals, so that in winter when the 
ground is covered with snow, the trail will not 
be lost. A ride of a day took us into the val¬ 
ley, but now a stage carries passengers directly 
there. 

Yosemite originally belonged to the national 

government, but was ceded to the State of 
9 


130 By Boat and Rail. 

California, on condition that it be kept as a 
public park. It is located on both sides of the 
Merced River, and is about ten miles long and 
from a half to two miles wide, walled in on 
either side by almost perpendicular rocks of 
granite. It is one of the wonders of the world. 
Its principal peaks are El Capitan, the Sentinel 
Dome, the Cap of Liberty, the Cathedral 
Rocks, and the Cathedral Spires, all of which 
are remarkable for their height and grandeur. 
There are a great number of water-falls and 
cascades, which, in the spring-time, are greatly 
enlarged by the melting snow. The most nota¬ 
ble are Sentinel Falls, Yosemite Falls, and the 
Bridal Veil. A miller from the State of Dela¬ 
ware remarked, in a sad tone of voice, yet with 
a keen business eye: “ There is enough waste 
water-power here to turn all the mills of Dela¬ 
ware and Pennsylvania.” 

In the valley we met Indians with black-tail 
deer, which they had shot and were carrying 
on their backs, having their forelegs tied to¬ 
gether and passed across their foreheads. They 
followed us for the little provision which they 
gathered from our luncheon. They frequent the 
valley for the purpose of gathering the acorns. 


By Boat and RaiL 131 

which they bury so as to extract the resin. 
Afterwards they convert them into a paste, 
from which they manufacture a kind of 
bread. 

From the valley we went to the Big Tree 
Grove of Calaveras. These trees are grand and 
awe-inspiring, and you look upon them with 
astonishment and wonder as they tower towards 
the sky. They range from 150 to 275 feet in 
height, and have a diameter from twenty to 
thirty feet. One of these giants was over¬ 
thrown by being bored through with augers. 
The stump was then levelled off and converted 
into a dancing floor, measuring thirty-two feet 
over, and capable of accommodating several 
sets of dancers. The trunk was made into a 
bowling-alley. 

Another of these trees had fallen through 
age, and left a depression in the ground as large 
as a mill-race. A third, which had also fallen, 
was partially decayed in the heart, and, with 
some assistance from fire, had been made large 
enough to permit a horse and rider to enter it 
for about thirty yards. Two of us performed 
the feat, and, on reaching the terminus, dis¬ 
mounted from our horse, ascended a flight of 


132 


By Boat and Rail, 


steps, and crawled through a knot-hole in the 
side of the tree. 

One of these trees, so the scientists say, is 
three thousand years old. The bark is from 
fifteen inches to two feet in thickness. A 
section was removed some years ago from one 
of the trees, and taken to Europe, where it was 
put on exhibition. 

Having partially satisfied ourselves with 
these Californian wonders, we returned to 
Stockton and proceeded to San Francisco. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


S AN FRANCISCO, the New York of the 
Pacific coast, is built upon the western 
shore of the Bay of San Francisco, and is 
reached from the ocean through the Golden 
Gate. Its population is about three hundred 
thousand. It is a business metropolis, with 
wide streets, broken by a large number of 
squares and parks. The old buildings of the 
days of ’49 have nearly all disappeared, and in 
their places, houses, stores, and hotels of grand 
proportions have been erected. Although it 
is said to be a godless city, it has nearly a hun¬ 
dred churches, several fine libraries, and scores 
of public buildings. The hotels are good ; the 
leading ones being the Palace, Occidental, 
Baldwin, and Lick House. The Palace is the 
largest, occupying a square, and costing $6,000,- 
000. The Lick House was built by James 
Lick, who was a cabinet-maker in Hanover, 
York County, Pennsylvania, and settled in Cal¬ 
ifornia as early as 1847, where he speculated 


133 


134 


By Boat and Rail, 


in land. He was a philanthropist, and gave 
$4,000,000 to public enterprises in San Fran¬ 
cisco, besides giving to the State a school for 
mechanics and arts, which cost $500,000. He 
also built the famous Lick Observatory, which 
contains the largest telescope in the world, 
costing, with its appointments, $1,000,000. 
Among the attractions of this great city is the 
Chinese quarter, where everything tends to 
make one think of Canton or Pekin. The lan¬ 
guage, signs, and odors are all foreign to the 
American eye, ear, and nose. 

We visited their theatre, in which a play had 
been in continuous progress for a week and 
would take weeks more to finish. Upon leav¬ 
ing the theatre, we went to a Mexican restau¬ 
rant, where we had a lunch, in genuine Mexican 
style. As that race is very fond of cayenne, it 
was a highly seasoned one. The meal con¬ 
sisted of three courses, which may be summed 
up in the words, hot, hotter, hottest. It is 
even said that wild animals will not eat a 
dead Mexican, because his flesh is too hot. 
Other points of interest are the Cliff House 
and the Seal Rocks, where a number of seals 
can be seen sporting in the water and basking 
on the rocks. 


By Boat and Rail, 135 

Here we took the steamer for home via 
Panama. The boat was uncomfortably crowd¬ 
ed and the weather exceedingly warm, and as 
we were not attired for a temperature of eighty 
or ninety degrees in the shade, we suffered con¬ 
siderably. The deck-hands and stewards were 
nearly all Japanese, who appeared to make 
very good sailors. The attention of the latter 
could not be surpassed. 

We stopped at Mazatlan and Acapulco, both 
Mexican cities. At the former, which we 
reached at mid-day, the temperature was nearly 
one hundred degrees, and the people appeared 
to be all enjoying a siesta. We looked in a 
school-house, where the mistress was asleep in 
a hammock, and the children had followed suit 
on their benches. Being desirous of purchasing 
a hammock we entered a store, the proprietor 
of which was asleep, who, on being awakened, 
seemed annoyed that we should make a call at 
such an unseasonable hour. He acted as if he 
would much rather sleep than sell. 

There are no wharves here, and everything 
is taken to and from the vessels on lighters. A 
number of cattle was swum from the shore to 
our steamer, and hoisted on board by fastening 
a rope around their horns. 


136 


By Boat and Rail. 


Acapulco is the most important port of 
Mexico on the Pacific, and has the best harbor. 
From this place large quantities of hides, 
silver, indigo, and cochineal are shipped. The 
people are also largely engaged in pearl fish¬ 
ing. After a stop of a few hours we steamed 
away for Panama. 

This city, consisting of about twenty-five 
thousand inhabitants, is situated on the Bay of 
Panama, and is the Pacific terminus of the Pa¬ 
nama Railroad. It is the capital of the state 
of Panama, which is one of the most important 
commonwealths of the United States of Colom¬ 
bia. It is one of the oldest cities in South 
America, dating back as early as 1500. In its 
early days it suffered considerably from the 
ravages of the buccaneers, notably, from the 
raids made by the famous pirate Morgan, who 
sacked and burned it. Some old rusty cannon 
can still be seen lying upon a promontory close 
to the city. In addition to depredations at the 
hands of freebooters, it has been burned several 
times by accidental fires. 

At Panama we took the cars for Aspinwall. 
This railroad was built in 1855, and every cross¬ 
tie cost the lives of three men, so unhealthy 


By Boat and Rail, 


137 


was the region through which it was con¬ 
structed. Men of several nationalities were 
employed on the work, such as Irishmen, Ger¬ 
mans, native Indians, Mexicans, and China¬ 
men, none of whom were able to cope with the 
climate. Finally the negro was employed with 
success. The road is forty-six miles long and very 
crooked, passing through chaparral and tangled 
forest. The highest point is 250 feet above the 
sea-level. It cost twenty-five dollars to ride these 
forty-six miles. Emigrants are prohibited from 
walking on the road, and it is almost an im¬ 
possibility to cross the isthmus, through such 
a tangle, independent of the dangers from 
wild animals, snakes, and malaria. The cars 
have blinds instead of glass, and the seats are 
cane. The stations are erected upon stilts of 
iron, to protect them from the ravages of the 
insects, which attack all wood that has been 
cut. For the same reason, the telegraph poles 
and cross-ties are made of iron or stone. 

Aspinwall, the northern terminus of the 
railroad, is situated on Manzanilla Island, 
which has been ceded to the railroad com¬ 
pany forever by the United States of Colom¬ 
bia. This city was named after Mr. W. H. 


138 By Boat and Rail. 

Aspinwall of New York City, who was the 
projector of the railroad and its first presi 
dent. 

A party of Mexicans bound for New York 
boarded the steamer at Mazatlan. They had 
neglected to doff their light summer clothing 
at Aspinwall, and when we arrived north of 
Cuba, the air becoming quite cool, the poor 
fellows huddled close to the steam pipes to 
keep warm. They could not get at their 
trunks, and if they had, it was not likely that 
they had anything more seasonable. When 
we reached New York it was snowing, and 
they presented a deplorable appearance, resem¬ 
bling butterflies which had emerged from their 
cocoons out of season. They went fluttering 
and shivering to their hacks to be taken to 
their destination. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


O N a second trip to the Pacific coast our 
first stop of any importance was Den¬ 
ver. This city, situated at the foot of the 
Rocky Mountains, has a population of about 
one hundred thousand. It is comparatively a 
new city, and the people are making mud and 
business fly. 

At the time we crossed Kansas it was re¬ 
splendent with verdure ; yet a few years before 
the grasshoppers had been so numerous and so 
hungry that they ate everything that was lying 
around loose. So destructive were they that a 
farm could have been purchased for a sack of 
flour and a mule. 

From Denver we turned southward, made a 
brief visit to Colorado Springs, and then pro¬ 
ceeded to Manitou, at the base of Pike’s Peak. 
The foot-hills of this peak are higher than Mt. 
Washington. We rode on horseback high 
enough to satisfy our curiosity. Now there is 
a railroad to the summit. We also saw the re- 


139 


140 By Boat and Rail, 

markable “ Garden of the Gods,” with its riven 
and distorted rocks. Leaving Manitou, we pro¬ 
ceeded over the Denver and Rio Grande Rail¬ 
road to Pueblo, and thence to Santa Fdby way 
of Veta Pass. On this road there is a curve 
called the “ Mule Shoe,” to construct which the 
engineers were obliged to build four miles of 
road to gain an advance of half a mile. Some¬ 
times the engine was going in a directly oppo¬ 
site direction to the rear car of the train it was 
pulling. At Conejos, before going to Santa 
F^, we made a run to Silverton, a town among 
the clouds and snow, where they have honey¬ 
combed the mountains in their search after the 
bright metal. From what we observed gener¬ 
ally we concluded that more money could be 
made on top of the ground than underneath. 
At Continental Divide we saw vast herds of 
cattle and sheep. A gentleman who owned 
thirty thousand head told us that he had sold 
ten thousand for forty dollars per head, weigh¬ 
ing from eight hundred to nine hundred pounds 
on the hoof. If the winter is not too hard and 
no blizzards are encountered they will thrive 
quite well under the lee of the mountains, and 
when the spring comes they grow with the grass. 


By Boat and Rail, 141 

The cattle ranch is the money-making business 
of the West, as it costs nothing for pasture, 
and cow-boys can be hired at thirty-five dollars 
per month and found. In Colorado there is 
very little rainfall as compared with other 
localities. 

From Silverton we retraced our steps to 
Conejos, and from there went to Santa F^. It is 
one of the oldest towns in the United States, 
and has a population of ten or fifteen thousand, 
consisting of all nationalities. The streets are 
narrow, resembling in that respect the old 
Spanish cities. The houses are built with 
adobe ; water is scarce, but the air is pure. 

Santa F^, before the railroads were built 
across the continent, was a very important 
trading post. The city is not an attractive 
one, except for its age, and the inhabitants are 
only remarkable for murdering time. In this 
city is the oldest church in America, San 
Miguel, built in 1580. The old palace of the 
Spanish governors dates back to 1650, and is 
now occupied by the Historical Society of 
New Mexico. 

From Santa F^ we crossed the territory from 
north to south. The railroad is constructed 


142 


By Boat and Rail, 


in the Rio Grande valley, in which there is 
some excellent land. The Pueblo Indians cul¬ 
tivate the ground in a primitive way, with a 
wooden plough and a winding ditch. They are 
industrious, and, like their burros, make haste 
slowly. We stopped at Albuquerque, which is 
a bustling city, some of the inhabitants of 
which have become rich by shaking and sifting 
the mountains for treasures. From this point 
we went to El Paso, where we took the 
Southern Pacific Railroad for Los Angeles. 

There is some fertile country on the route, 
and some extremely barren. We saw the gold 
shining in its virgin state; passed through 
mining towns, which hung on the mountain 
like bird-cages on a wall, and through cafions 
which were beyond description of pen or 
brush. On the Southern Pacific there were a 
great many towns, like horses, only seven 
years old, which neither increased in size nor 
age. At Lotter Gorge a bear was climbing 
the mountain, while a pair of eagles were 
making graceful curves between the sun and 
the snow-capped peaks. There was very little 
game, as railroads and game are incompatible. 
A few buck rabbits, prairie dogs, and an occa- 


By Boat and Rail, 143 

sional antelope showed their heels to the 
rattling train. 

At the stations between El Paso and Tuc¬ 
son, we were welcomed by Apache Indians, 
who were following the “white man’s road,” 
not for our scalps but for our quarters; they 
were clothed in little but their complexion. 
They raced their broncos, threw their lassos, 
danced their war dance, shot their arrows, and 
scooped in the “ filthy lucre ” from the inno¬ 
cent “ tenderfoot.” This tribe is the great 
unwashed, and is an animated ranche for vermin 
and filth. 

At one of the stations we encountered the 
“ King of the Cow-boys,” as they called him. 
He was dressed in a buckskin hunting-shirt 
and slashed trousers, with a broad-brimmed 
hat and rattling spurs. He fairly glittered 
with knives and pistols, and appeared to be 
fretting for a fight. We were told not to irri¬ 
tate him, as he had, the day before, slaughtered 
two innocent men. The ladies looked upon 
him with amazement and wonder, while the 
men, with eyes turned one way and toes 
another, were anxious to leave his company, as 
he nervously dropped his hand on the silver- 


144 


By Boat and RaiL 


mounted butt of a loaded pistol. The exceed¬ 
ing politeness of the men was most absurd, 
and, on his retirement, they wiped the perspira¬ 
tion from their manly brows. Before we 
reached the next stopping-place, in walked the 
dreaded “ King of the Cow-boys,” but this time 
he was dressed in his proper uniform, which 
was that of a baggage-master. The passengers 
laughed at the deception which had been prac¬ 
tised upon them, and paid well for the joke; 
for his real occupation was not that of smash¬ 
ing heads, but trunks. 

From Tucson to Yuma the country was 
barren, covered with sand, cacti of immense 
size, and sage bush ; as there is scarcely any 
rainfall in this section of the country, it is 
exceedingly dry, and the land is killed with 
thirst; the only indication of moisture we 
observed in crossing this desert was an indi¬ 
vidual with a corkscrew. Yuma is the hottest 
place in the United States. The sun, instead 
of being millions of miles away, seemed to be 
almost within reach, and the inhabitants ap¬ 
peared to be mostly in “ the melting mood.” 

After crossing the Colorado River the 
country was a desert until we reached the 


By Boat and Rail. 


145 


Cajon Pass, whence the route to Los Angeles 
was through a beautiful and fertile district, 
here and there, covered with palm, lemon, 
almond, olive, and pepper trees. We finally 
reached Los Angeles, which is the handsomest 
city of Southern California, and is in the great 
vine-growing district. 

10 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


OS ANGELES, a city of about fifty 



thousand inhabitants, is situated in a 


valley and on a river of the same name. It is 
in the centre of the great fruit belt, and has 
been well named, surrounded as it is by rich 
pastures, extensive fruit orchards, and ever- 
blooming flower gardens. The orange-trees 
were full to excess, the air was laden with 
perfume of fruit and flower, and the heavy- 
headed and bending grain promised an abun¬ 
dant harvest. Added to this is a most genial 
climate, which makes it a place you regret 
to leave. There are nearly twenty miles of 
macadamized streets on which there are cable 
and electric street-cars. 

Nine miles distant is Pasadena, a city famous 
for its attractive villas. We visited the ranch 
of Mr. Rose, where we saw cows worth their 
weight in silver, and horses valued at thirty 
thousand dollars. Returning to Los Angeles, 
we went to Santa Monica, a seaside resort of 


146 


By Boat and Rail. 


147 


Los Angeles about twenty miles distant. Like 
Long Branch, the shore is abrupt and fast land 
to the flood, the vegetation growing luxuriantly 
to the very ocean. Here we caught plenty of 
fish, some of which were viviparous. Return¬ 
ing to the “ City of Angels ” we resumed our 
journey northward, passing through the west¬ 
ern edge of the Mojave Desert, and through 
the celebrated Tehachapi Pass. This road is 
the most serpentine that has ever been con¬ 
structed, and on one of the curves the road 
actually crosses itself, one road-bed being 
eighty feet above the other, which is spanned 
by a bridge. It takes a day and a night to go 
from Los Angeles to San Francisco. 

From San Francisco we journeyed to Mon¬ 
terey, the great seaside resort of the San 
Franciscans. The Hotel del Monte is the 
property of the railroad company, and has 
seven thousand acres attached. The company 
has spared neither pains nor money upon the 
property, and, with the assistance of nature, 
has made it very attractive and comfortable. 
The grounds are artistically laid out, with 
lakes, fountains, groves, and well macadamized 
roads. Hundreds of Chinamen are engaged 


148 By Boat and Rail. 

constantly in keeping the grounds in perfect 
condition. It is said that a million dollars has 
been expended upon this hotel property. 

Quitting Monterey we returned to San Fran¬ 
cisco through the Santa Clara valley, which 
is a very highly cultivated country, rich in 
cereals and fruits. Magnificent houses abound, 
with every indication of wealth; for the valley 
is the home of the ‘‘ bonanza kings.” 

Immense crops are raised in California, some 
ranches turning out a hundred thousand dol¬ 
lars’ worth of grain annually. Sixty bushels of 
wheat to the acre is not an uncommon yield, 
and at times the wheat crop has reached forty 
millions of bushels. Large quantities of barley 
are cut green and fed to the stock instead of 
hay. Alfalfa, a kind of clover, which was in¬ 
troduced from Chili, is a very important crop. 
It grows luxuriantly, and is cut four or five 
times a year, aggregating from eight to ten 
tons per acre. Corn is rarely planted. The 
temperature varies but sligh-tly throughout the 
year, and averages about seventy-five degrees. 
Some of the ranchmen. plough, harrow, and 
sow their grain at the same time, driving ten 
horses to the harrow. We saw eight reaping- 


By Boat and Rail, 


149 


machines in a field of barley. Fruit grows 
abundantly, grapes being one of the staple 
crops. The vines are cut off a few feet from 
the ground and support themselves, some of 
the vines being half a foot in diameter; cher¬ 
ries, strawberries, and apricots are unusually 
large and perfect in form, but somewhat insipid. 

Food is cheap and good. Fish and oysters 
are plenty. Shad has been introduced from 
the Atlantic coast. The butter was excellent, 
reminding us of the rich pasture of Chester 
County. Stock here is choice, but high in 
price. A good horse, as elsewhere, brings his 
full value, nevertheless one can buy a bucking 
bronco for a few dollars, which will give you 
more business and exercise than any invest¬ 
ment that is quoted on the market. 

While in San Francisco we rode behind the 
celebrated horse “John Stewart,” that has 
made his twenty miles an hour, and was con¬ 
sidered the best roadster in America. He was 
then owned by the late Dr. Brunner, who was 
formerly a resident of Chester County. We 
returned home by way of Salt Lake City, of 
which mention has been made in a preceding 
chapter. 


CHAPTER XXX. 


P RINCE EDWARD ISLAND lies in the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of Nova 
Scotia. The sea route from Boston to this 
island gives the visitor the opportunity of 
stopping at Halifax, the capital of the province 
of Nova Scotia, the harbor of which is exten¬ 
sive, and one of the most commodious in the 
world. 

The route to Prince Edward Island is through 
the Gut of Canso, which separates Nova Scotia 
from Cape Breton Island. The current of the 
Gut of Canso is exceedingly rapid, and its 
passage is attended with some danger at certain 
seasons of the year. 

Prince Edward Island is about one hundred 
and thirty miles long, and from four to thirty- 
five, wide. Its chief city, Charlottestown, 
where we landed, has a population of about 
ten thousand. While in Charlottestown a show 
made a street parade, which was rather an un¬ 
common occurrence in that town. As the 
150 


By Boat and Rail 151 

procession was passing a bank, all hands left 
their figures and money to witness it. At the 
same time a man asked the president of the 
bank if he could throw into the cellar a load 
of coal that was lying on the pavement. The 
request was granted. When the clerks bal¬ 
anced the accounts in the evening they were 
fifteen thousand dollars short. The innocent 
looking coal-heaver had gone through the bank, 
and the officials had “ seen the elephant.” 

The island is well watered by a number of 
streams, in which there is good trout fishing. 
Francis Jacobs, one of our party, a skilful 
angler, who can cast a fly so as to drop in the 
desired spot, “ as light as falls the flaky snow,” 
soon filled his creel with the. “ speckled beau¬ 
ties.” The land is fertile, and the principal 
crops are potatoes, oats, wheat, and barley. 
The people have large herds of cattle, sheep, 
and pigs, but those of the coast line are chiefly 
engaged in fishing, catching large quantities of 
cod, mackerel, and alewives. 

While there we went mackerel fishing. The 
bait, consisting of ground fish, is continually 
thrown out of the boat, until a school of mack¬ 
erel strikes the floating bait and follows it up 


152 


By Boat and Rail, 


to its source. Then, throwing out your baited 
hooks, you can make a good catch. 

On our return a fog suddenly dropped on the 
bay, so thick that we lost both our bearings 
and our tempers. As we had only an “ ash 
breeze,” it was near morning before we heard 
the sound of the bugle, played by our friend, 
who had become anxious for our safety. This 
told us the direction of home. 

Prince Edward is a very healthy place, and, 
though the summers are short, the winters are 
not excessively severe. The island was once 
heavily timbered, but lumbering and fires have 
made great gaps in the primeval forests. Liv¬ 
ing is cheap. A native told us that he kept 
his family comfortably on a pension of two 
hundred dollars, which he received from the 
English government. 

Leaving Prince Edward Island, we crossed 
Northumberland Strait to Shediac, in New 
Brunswick, and proceeded to St. John by rail. 
This city is located at the mouth of the St. John 
River which empties into the Bay of Fundy. 
This bay is remarkable for its exceeding high 
tides, which, at its upper end, rise to the height 
of seventy feet, and rush in with such rapidity 


By Boat and Rail, 153 

that animals are frequently overtaken and 
drowned. 

Returning to the States, we proceeded to 
the White Mountains, where we ascended Mt. 
Washington, which is six thousand two hun¬ 
dred feet high. The grandeur of the scenery 
surrounding this group has given this portion 
of New Hampshire the title of the “American 
Switzerland.” There is a railroad to the sum¬ 
mit of Mt. Washington. The cars are furnished 
with cog-wheels, and there is a middle rail with 
teeth, into which the cogs work on the same 
principle as any geared machinery. There is 
also an arrangement attached, which will not 
let the train run backward, so the danger of 
any break of the locomotive renders the ascent 
very safe. When the bill was before the New 
Hampshire legislature to construct this road, 
a member who was opposed to it remarked that 
it would be as practicable to build a railroad 
to the moon. 

The Summit House and United States Signal 
Service Office are fastened down to the moun¬ 
tain by chain cables, so that storms cannot blow 
them away. It is rare that a view of any dura¬ 
tion can be had from the summit, on account 


154 


By Boat and Rail, 


of the almost continual mist; occasionally, 
however, a glimpse for a few minutes of the 
other mountains and the valleys can be ob¬ 
tained through a rift in the fog and clouds. 
The descent of the mountain is exciting and 
enjoyable, but it is not so thrilling as the ascent 
and descent of some of the peaks in the Rocky 
Mountains. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


Q uebec, the only walled city in North 
America, might be very properly called 
a French city with English masters. 
It was settled by the French in 1534, but in 
1759 was conquered by England. Its French 
population has adhered with tenacity to the 
tongue of its mother country, and has not 
wandered from the faith of the Roman Catholic 
Church. A few miles from the city we met 
people who could only speak the French lan¬ 
guage. We were told that there was only one 
negro in Quebec, and he had concluded to 
leave before the winter set in, as it took all he 
made to keep him warm. 

The city is divided into two parts, called the 
upper and the lower towns. The former, on 
a high promontory called Cape Diamond, is 
surrounded by a wall. At the extremity of 
Cape Diamond is the citadel, which is the 
strongest fortress in America, from which fact 
the city is frequently called the “ Gibraltar of 
155 


156 By Boat and Rail, 

America.” Back from the town are the Plains 
of Abraham, where General Wolfe won his 
victory over the French under Montcalm, and 
lost his life. During the American Revolution 
the Colonial army, led by Montgomery, made 
an attempt to capture the city from the Eng¬ 
lish. The American General had about one 
thousand New York soldiers, and before 
making the assault he addressed them as 
follows: “Men of New York, you will not 
fear to follow where your General leads.” At 
the first volley from the enemy’s musketry 
Montgomery fell, mortally wounded. 

The lower town is at the base of Cape 
Diamond, the rocks having been cut away to 
make room for the houses. This is the com¬ 
mercial portion of Quebec, while the upper 
town is principally devoted to residences and 
public edifices. In the vicinity of the lower 
town, along the river banks, are large ship¬ 
building establishments and commodious float¬ 
ing docks. The principal business is the timber 
trade, and immense rafts are floated down the 
Ottawa and other rivers from the great interior 
forests. Millions of feet of lumber are sent 
annually out of the St. Lawrence River from 


By Boat and Rail. 157 

Quebec. The Falls of Montmorency, a short 
distance away, are two hundred and fifty feet 
high—much superior to and grander than those 
of Minnehaha (Laughing Water) near Minne¬ 
apolis, which are but forty feet high and only 
made celebrated by the Song of Hiawatha^ 
From Quebec we went to Montreal, and then 
to the Thousand Islands, which are interesting. 
They are the largest collection of islands in 
the world. The passage through the rapids, 
—the “ Long Sault,” the “ Cedars,” and the 
“ Lachine ”—is most thrilling. The steamer 
rushes through them under the guidance of 
a skilful Caughnawaga Indian. 

Returning to Montreal, we took the Cana¬ 
dian Pacific Railroad for Victoria. This is the 
most northern railroad route across the Ameri¬ 
can continent, and one of the five great iron 
belts which connect the Atlantic with the 
Pacific. It was constructed with English capi¬ 
tal, and completed in 1887. It is a single track 
the entire distance of thirty-two hundred miles, 
but differs from the English roads in having 
the United States system of cars and locomo¬ 
tives, the latter having covered cabs for the 
engineers, which the English locomotives do 


i58 


By Boat and Rail, 


not have. The trip is made in about seven 
days. The road was an inexpensive one until 
they struck the Rocky Mountains. In some 
localities it is perfectly straight for the distance 
of forty miles, not even having a bridge or an 
embankment. The country along the road is 
composed of forest, prairie, and mountain. 
For the first thousand miles it is a wilderness 
in every sense of the word, but not a howling 
one, as we neither saw nor heard an animal or 
bird. It was as silent as the sky above. The 
endless stretch of pines was stunted and worth¬ 
less. The soil appeared to be thin. The next 
thousand miles were composed almost entirely 
of prairie, which was rolling and fertile, and on 
which good crops of wheat, oats, and barley 
were raised. It is too cold in this latitude for 
corn-growing. For miles and miles we rode 
along without seeing a habitation, and the 
eye grew weary looking at the long undulating 
plains, which seemed to reach to the bending 
clouds. A few wild flowers—the rose, the red 
lobelia, and the trembling bluebells—relieved 
the monotony. Along this part of the route 
we saw a few animals, such as the gray wolf, 
the badger, and the coyote, which would 


By Boat and Rail. 1 59 

leisurely trot off as the train approached, until 
they were lost beyond “ the divide.” The 
little prairie-dogs would appear and disappear 
in their burrows with wonderful activity. Wild 
ducks were floating on the ponds among the 
water-lilies with their broods, and occasionally 
a bunch of antelope might be seen stretching 
their graceful forms in wonder at the swiftly 
passing train. The buffaloes, which so recently 
blackened these prairies and rolled in the rich 
pasture, have all been destroyed, and the only 
signs they have left are their interlaced trails, 
while their bones whiten the green and solitary 
surface. The Indians still remain, and their 
wigwams are pitched about the stations. They 
are dignified and stand like statues, wrapped 
in red blankets, and, with stolid countenance, 
seem to read their downfall in the progress of 
civilization. 

When we reached the Rocky Mountains the 
road twisted and turned like a snake. It climbs 
high mountains and almost perpendicular cliffs, 
winds through cafions, descends into deep 
gorges, burrows into long tunnels, and crosses 
swift rivers—truly a grand piece of engineering. 
On this trip, which was in the summer, the 


16o By Boat and Rail. 

snow was melting on the peaks, and came 
tumbling down in white streams as if from the 
clouds. The rivers had become so swollen, and 
some of the bridges had been so seriously dam¬ 
aged, that on one occasion we were obliged to 
leave the cars, walk over a bridge, and take 
another train. It was not an agreeable or 
easy task to accomplish, with a roaring river 
beneath and a bridge swinging from the force 
of the water. We were well satisfied when we 
stepped from the last tie upon terra jirma. 

The road crosses the heads of the Columbia, 
Frazer, Thompson, and Kicking Horse rivers. 
The Frazer River was fifty feet higher than 
usual, and gurgled between narrow, perpendicu¬ 
lar rocks three hundred feet below the track. 
It rushed along with such terrific force that it 
appeared to be running on its edge. 

The one disagreeable and annoying feature 
of the trip was the mosquitoes, which were so 
numerous and so intent on their business that 
they came early and stayed late ; the natives 
say that they come and depart on snow-shoes. 

After a continuous ride of seven days we 
reached Victoria, the capital of British Colum¬ 
bia, on Vancouver Island. The city has a pop- 


By Boat and Rail. 


i6i 


ulation of about fifteen thousand inhabitants, 
of which four thousand are the almond-eyed 
Chinese and one thousand, Indians, the balance 
being a mixture of different nationalities. The 
streets of the city are wide and well paved, and 
the dwellings are set back from the street, with 
yards in front, in which flowers bloom nearly 
all the year. 

The island of Vancouver is two hundred 
miles long, and varies from thirty to fifty, in 
width. The greater part of the island is moun¬ 
tainous, with peaks from eight to nine thousand 
feet in height. Mount Arrowsmith is the 
highest, being an almost perpendicular mass 
of rock rising from the shore, which might be 
compared to Mount Washington, though it has 
not risen to the dignity of a signal-service 
station, nor is it reached by a railroad. The 
island is densely wooded, containing much 
valuable timber, such as the white nr, the 
Douglas pine, and the cedar, some of which 
grow to the height of three hundred feet. The 
last two are largely used in ship and canoe 
building. Coal has also been found on the 
island in large quantities. 

The climate is cold and the summer is short. 


II 


i 62 


By Boat and Rail 

but very hot. There is an abundance of wild 
fowl and wild animals, such as the bear, wolf, 
puma, and deer. The island is a great fishing 
depot, salmon, cod, herring, and halibut being 
abundant, and forming one of the chief features 
of business and traffic. 

Vancouver’s Island was discovered in 1762 
by Captain Vancouver, of the British Navy. 
The city of Victoria was founded in 1857, at 
which time the great rush was made to the 
British Columbia gold-fields. It is now a prov¬ 
ince of the Dominion of Canada, and a repre¬ 
sentative of the colonial government resides at 
Victoria. At the time of our arrival the people 
were celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of 
Queen Victoria’s reign. It was done with 
sham battles, boat-racing, fire-works, and other 
amusements. We came over from the main¬ 
land in a boat loaded with soldiers, and if they 
attacked the enemy with half the zeal that they 
did the victuals, they would soon annihilate 
them. We had to wait for the fourth table 
before getting what little was left. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


T he trip from Victoria to Sitka, Alaska, 
is made entirely by water, surpassing 
in grandeur and scenic beauty anything that 
one can imagine or describe. The route was 
what is termed the inside passage—that is, 
between the mainland and the numerous 
islands between it and the ocean. We steamed 
up a narrow channel along Vancouver Island a 
distance of two hundred miles, with towering 
mountains on either side, covered with cedar, 
hemlock, and spruce, which shut out the swell 
and storm of the Pacific and rendered the 
water as smooth as that of a lake. The chan¬ 
nel is in a labyrinth of islands with quiet bays 
into which empty numerous streams. From 
the northern extremity of Vancouver to Queen 
Charlotte Island there is a stretch of a hundred 
miles entirely open to the sea. We then 
entered Fitzhugh Sound, shut in by the main¬ 
land on the east and by the islands on the west, 
above which Mount Buxton rises like a needle, 
163 


164 By Boat and Rail. 

thirty-four hundred feet high. In some places 
the way was so narrow that one could almost 
bathe one’s hand in the foaming cascades and 
reach the ferns upon the banks. The water 
was so clear that the trees, rocks, and sky were 
reflected upon the surface like a painting. We 
saw but little life in this “ thrilling region of 
thick-ribbed ice.” Now and then an Indian 
canoe would glide by and disappear with its 
occupant behind an island, or an eagle sail 
screaming among the cliffs and crags. An 
occasional whale spouted in the distance, and 
some seal played among the floating ice. 
Grenville Channel, which connects Wright’s 
Sound with Chatham Sound, is perfectly 
straight for fifty miles, and lies between Pitt 
Island and the mainland. After entering 
Chatham Sound we obtained another view of 
the ocean. Up to this point we had been en¬ 
tirely in English waters, but after crossing lati¬ 
tude 54° and 40', which is just north of Dundas 
Island and south of Prince of Wales Island, we 
entered upon the waters of the United States 
and within the jurisdiction of the Territory of 
Alaska. We then passed into Clarence Strait, 
filled with small islands. This strait is a hun- 


By Boat and Rail. 165 

dred miles long and nowhere over four, wide. 
At the upper end of this passage is Fort 
Wrangell, which was our first stop, nearly seven 
hundred miles from Victoria. Fort Wrangell 
is an old Russian trading-post, and here we 
had the opportunity of seeing the famous 
totem poles of the Indians. Some of these 
poles are sixty feet high, curiously carved, and 
frequently ornamented with a figure on 
top, wearing a singular-shaped hat. Some of 
the faces, which are carved on the posts, are 
most hideous; but whether the poles are 
intended for luck or worship, no one seems to 
know. From Fort Wrangell we proceeded 
northward, passing through Souchoi Channel, 
and thence into Prince Frederick Sound. Into 
this sound flows an immense glacier, which has 
been named Patterson glacier. We next en¬ 
tered the Straits of Stephens, and then through 
Gastineaux Channel to Juneau. This town, 
two hundred miles north of Fort Wrangell, 
is the principal mining centre of Alaska, having 
one of its ten post-offices. Opposite the town 
is Douglas Island, on which is one of the largest 
gold mines in America, having two hundred 
and forty stamps; the output, it is said, being 


166 By Boat and Rail, 

over $150,000 per month. The gold ore in 
this mine, the Treadwell, is valued at five 
times the sum that the United States paid 
Russia for the Territory. 

From Juneau our steamer proceeded up 
Lynn Canal, a bay of about sixty miles, to 
Chilkaht Inlet, and stopped at the town of 
Haines, about a hundred miles above Juneau. 
It was the most northern point we visited, 
being in latitude 59°, and nearly a thousand 
miles from Victoria. The thermometer stood 
at 45°. The nights in the summer are short, 
and it is easy to read a newspaper on the deck 
of the steamer at eleven o’clock. There is a 
school for the Indian children here under the 
care of a lady. The Indians resemble the 
Japanese, and there is no doubt but that they 
are descended from the Antipodes. As there 
is a chain of islands between Japan and Alaska, 
it would have required but little nautical skill 
for the Japanese to sail from island to island, 
until they reached the coast of Alaska. 

Lynn Canal and Chilkaht Inlet are bounded 
on either side by high mountains, and from 
every ravine there flows a glacier of greater or 
less magnitude. The largest are Eagle and 


By Boat and Rail. 167 

Davidson. Returning down the canal to Icy 
Strait, we turned westward and passed through 
Glacier Bay, into which flows the great Muir 
glacier. The continual falling of the large ice¬ 
bergs into the water caused the ship to rock 
like a cradle, and the unceasing cracking and 
tumbling of the masses of ice reminded one of 
the roar of battle. The Muir glacier is en¬ 
tirely different from what one would imagine, 
being really more like a frozen river, blocked 
and forced upon either side by high mountains, 
with a front upon the sea of one mile, and 
from two to three hundred feet high. It is 
being gradually pushed down its channel, and 
immense pieces are continually breaking off 
and falling into the bay. As it recedes into 
the country it grows wider and thicker, being fed 
by nearly thirty smaller glacier streams. Its en¬ 
tire length is unknown, though it has been ex¬ 
plored for seventy miles inland ; still beyond is 
seen the same ridge of ice, with towering pin¬ 
nacles, fantastic in form and dazzling in the 
sun. We made soundings of one hundred 
fathoms and found no bottom. 

We took on board a supply of ice from this 
great American ice-house, though there is still 


168 By Boat and Rail, 

enough left to cool all the water and blood of 
the nation. We have seen glaciers in Switzer¬ 
land, but they were merely icicles in comparison 
with this one. 

Steaming out of Glacier Bay, we returned 
through Icy Strait along the coast of Chicagoff 
Island to Peril Strait, thence down Pogibshi 
Channel to Sitka, the capital of Alaska. It 
has a population of about two thousand, of 
whom more than half are Indians. A gunboat 
and a force of soldiers are stationed there. 
There is a Greek church, a relic of the former 
owners of the country, and a Presbyterian 
mission with three hundred Indian children. 
The Episcopalians, the Catholics, and other 
denominations have planted mission stations, 
not only at Sitka, but at other points in the 
Alaskan Territory. The Indian children do 
very well if kept from the woods, but if they 
get a sniff of nature they are off, and, like 
escaped birds, soon become wild. Nostalgia is 
a disease to which the Indians are subject. 
They live in shanties, and, if the space is large 
enough, several families occupy the same room. 
The fireplace is in the middle of the hut, and 
answers a twofold purpose—to smoke their fish 


By Boat and Rail, 169 

and warm their bodies. There is a hole in the 
roof for the exit of the smoke, but most of it 
lingers with the occupants. The green pelts, 
the grease, the fish, and a good deal of Indian 
form a mixture of nauseating smells, which 
compels you to make a sudden exit and to 
take the air straight. 

The squaw here appears to be the “ boss.” 
She carries the money, the club, and the 
tongue, and paddles the canoe, while the “ noble 
red man ” wastes his strength in steering. She 
also saws the wood, while her lazy mate smokes 
his pipe in peace. When she is dressed in full 
array, she may be a thing of joy but not of 
beauty. She has rings in her nose and ears, a 
tube runs through her lip, her teeth and face 
are black, she is wrapped in a blanket covered 
with shirt buttons, and a dirty papoose is slung 
on her back, yet she walks as if proud of her 
property and stock. 

The natives make their canoes by burning 
and digging out the inside of the yellow cedar, 
and are models of symmetry, lightness, and 
strength. Some of these boats will carry sixty 
persons and ride the roughest sea. The natives 
fish more than they hunt, using a hook of their 


170 By Boat and Rail, 

own make, which is a curiosity and a puzzle, 
with which they catch fish in great abundance. 
The natives still flatten some of their children’s 
heads by placing them between boards, and 
build huts over their bodies when they die. 

There are large quantities of fish in the 
Alaskan waters, the principal varieties being 
rock-cod, flounder, tomcod, white fish, and 
many species that have only scientific, native, 
or Russian names. Alaska is not wanting in 
birds, as many of those found in more southern 
latitudes are here. Among the most prominent 
birds that may be mentioned are ptarmigans, 
magpies, eider ducks, swans, humming-birds, 
albatrosses, petrels, grebes, ducks, geese, auks, 
pigeons, wrens, warblers, martins, and ravens- 
Among the water animals are seals, walruses, 
and otters; on the land there are bears, deer, 
elk, moose, caribou, porcupines, wolves, and 
silver foxes; the pelts of the last mentioned 
are worth from sixty to seventy-five dollars 
each. There are also immense forests, which 
furnish excellent timber. For agricultural pur¬ 
poses the country is too much humped, and 
there is little in farming because a pumpkin 
would have to be tied to keep it from rolling 


By Boat and Rail. 


171 


down hill, and a fire to be built to keep it warm. 
They have ten months of winter and two of 
frost. When you talk of winter lingering in 
the lap of spring, it would have no show in 
this country, for spring has no lap to spare. 

Alaska is one sixth the size of the United 
States, and was purchased in 1868 from Russia 
foi* $7,500,000. From Attu, the most western 
of the Aleutian chain of islands, to the east¬ 
ern boundary of the Territory, its extent is 
equal to the distance from Washington, D. C. 
to San Francisco. And from north to south, 
the distance is about the same as from Maine 
to Florida. Alaska has the highest mountain 
on the North American continent, Mt. St. Elias, 
19,500 feet. It also has one of the longest 
rivers in the world, the Yukon, which is over 
three thousand miles long and navigable for 
two thousand miles. While here, the salmon, 
which are anadromous, had commenced to run, 
and the fishermen were expecting a good catch. 
At the time of the negotiations for the purchase 
of Alaska, it was said by the late W. H. Seward, 
Secretary of State, that it was impossible for a 
ship to land on account of the salmon. They 
are still so abundant in the spawning season 


By Boat and Rail. 


172 

that in the mountain streams they can be thrown 
out with a pitchfork. 

The Indian has an infatuation for killing every 
kind of animal that he sees, from a squirrel to 
a bear. He kills in and out of season. 

From Sitka, we returned by the inside pas¬ 
sage, landing again at Fort Wrangell. It was 
on the “glorious Fourth,” and the day was 
properly celebrated with sports and speeches. 
The most interesting of the sports was boat¬ 
racing by the Indians. Each canoe contained 
from fifteen to twenty aboriginals, who pro¬ 
pelled their craft with paddles instead of oars. 
It was astonishing with what rapidity they 
could drive a canoe through the water. Some¬ 
times it seemed as if they fairly lifted it from 
the surface. The victorious crew were received 
by their squaws with rapture. Our party sup¬ 
plied the orators of the day, who astonished 
the natives more by their gesticulations than 
by their eloquence, judging from the remark 
of one of them, who evidently did not under¬ 
stand a word that was uttered. The orator 
was at the height of his peroration; he had his 
eyes fixed upon the ceiling, and was vociferat¬ 
ing, as if the audience were on top of the roof, 


By Boat and Rail. 


173 


while he slashed the air with his arms, 
stamped the floor, and with burning eloquence 
made the American Eagle sore. It was too 
much for Mr. Indian, who touched me with his 
pipe stem, and whispered, “ White man much 
mad, big squaw.” 

From Victoria we went to Port Townsend, 
and took steamer for San Francisco. The 
voyage was not an agreeable one, as the boat 
was overcrowded, and its freight was largely 
made up of pelts which were not as sweet as 
“ Cytherea’s breath.” Three passengers were 
compelled to occupy a room which was scarcely 
large enough for one. The sea was rough and 
choppy, and most of the passengers were sick. 
The stranger, who assisted my companion and 
myself in occupying our state-room, appeared 
to be laboring under the impression that he 
had eaten something which had disagreed with 
his stomach, as most of his time was devoted 
to trying to correct that idea. But it was not 
surprising, as many of the passengers belonged 
to the great plains and saw but little water, 
and it was said to be impossible to get some of 
them on a boat without first putting their 
heads in a sack. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 


» 


FTER a brief stay in the metropolis of 



the Pacific coast, we took the Mount 


Shasta Railroad for Portland, twenty-five miles 
of which were not completed. That distance* 
therefore had to be traversed in stage-coaches, 
of which there were five with six horses to 
each. The dust, heat, and rough road made it 
a journey long to be remembered. We have 
had some experience with bucking horses, but 
on this occasion it was a bucking stage. It 
was impossible to appreciate the scenery, as 
the eye could not be kept long enough on an 
object to tell a rock from a cow. A loving 
couple, who were gotten up in the dernier mode, 
resplendent with shining silk hat, and bonnet, 
adorned with flowers and birds, occasioned our 
sympathy; for the lurching and pitching of the 
stage soon reduced the beauty and symmetry of 
their head-gear to the things that were. When 
we got to the railroad, the journey became more 
pleasant and the scenery grand and beautiful. 


174 


By Boat and Rail. 


175 


The broad and rich Sacramento Valley 
gleamed with waving grain, and the golden 
harvest was thick upon level and slope, as far 
as the eye could reach; while Mount Shasta, 
14,500 feet high, with its head in the clouds, 
and a white mantle upon its shoulders, appeared 
grand in the distance. 

Portland, on the Willamette River, fifteen 
miles from its juncture with the Columbia River, 
at the head of ship-navigation, is the largest 
city in the State, having a population of seventy 
thousand, is a thorough business place, and one 
of the wealthiest towns in the Union. One 
hundred persons worth a million dollars each, 
reside there. Portland does a tremendous 
shipping trade through the Columbia River, 
shipping annually millions of bushels of wheat 
and thousands of barrels of flour to China and 
along the American coast. The canning of 
salmon and the fur trade are carried on to a 
great extent. 

At Portland we took the Northern Pacific 
Railroad, which runs close to the Columbia 
River for about two hundred miles through a 
very fertile section of country, to Walla Walla. 
Thence we proceeded to Spokane, the most 


176 By Boat and Rail. 

phenomenal city of the Northwest, both in its 
rapid growth and from a business point of view. 
A few miles after crossing into Idaho we 
reached Pend d’Oreille Lake, but the mosquitoes 
had possession of the ranch, and as we did not 
wish to occupy their valuable time, we left on 
the next train for the National Park. The road 
followed the Clarke’s Fork of the Columbia 
River, through a rough and wild country into 
the State of Montana. At Livingstone, we left 
the Northern Pacific Railroad and took the 
branch to Cinnabar, at the entrance of the 
National Park, where this road terminates. 
For a week we viewed this magnificent park. 
It is sixty-five miles long, fifty-five wide, and 
contains 3,312 square miles. The entire park 
is composed of serrated mountains, beautiful 
valleys, sombre forests, meadows bright with 
streams and flowers, foaming cascades, awful 
canons, placid lakes, and nearly four thousand 
geysers and hot springs. The wonderful gey¬ 
sers make the earth tremble by their rumbling, 
and, at intervals, throw into the air columns of 
boiling water to the height of three hundred 
feet. The most prominent geysers are the 
“ Excelsior,” “ Monarch,” “ Old Faithful,” 


By Boat and RaiL 


177 


“ The Minute-Men,” and the “ Growler.” The 
steam from the “ Excelsior,” which is the lar¬ 
gest geyser in the world, ascends a thousand 
feet. The hot springs, of which a thousand 
can be found in the space of a mile square, 
vary in temperature from 152° to 182°. The 
mud-pools present every variety of shade and 
color and are constantly bubbling and seething. 
Aside from the geysers, the most curious 
objects are the “ Paint Pots,” of fantastic 
designs and colors. The air in the Geyser 
Basin is thick with steam and sulphurous 
gases. 

In places where the heat is quite perceptible, 
the ground shakes beneath your feet and seems 
as if it might, at any moment, burst its thin 
crust and open the hollow earth. The cafion 
of the Yellowstone, with its falls of over three 
hundred feet, its dashing river, its yellow 
walls towering to the clouds, its crags and 
rocks shivered by the elements, is one of the 
most wonderful freaks of nature, and you are 
awe-stricken by its sublimity and grandeur. 

There is plenty of game in the park, but 
shooting is not allowed. In consequence of this 
protection, deer stood in the roadways looking 

13 


178 


By Boat and RaiL 


at us without fear, and grouse were as tame as 
chickens. Elk and buffalo were occasionally 
seen. Once we saw a bear come very near the 
kitchen of the hotel, and the cook told us that 
this particular fellow had become quite familiar, 
for he danced around and wanted the best that 
was in the shop. Fishing is permitted and 
some fine catches are made. There are places 
where trout can be caught and cooked without 
moving one’s position or taking the fish from 
the hook. They are taken from the sparkling 
stream and then swung over into a boiling 
spring. The government is having good roads 
constructed through the park, and has admira¬ 
ble accommodations for its guests. 

Returning, we continued our trip on the 
Northern Pacific through Montana, North 
Dakota, and Minnesota to Duluth. These 
States are being rapidly populated; yet there 
are millions of acres in which a furrow has 
never been turned, only waiting for the 
“ seed-time and harvest.” At Duluth, “ the 
City of an Unsalted Sea,” we embarked for 
Buffalo via the Great Lakes. The voyage 
through the lakes was the most delightful 
water trip we experienced. The Strait of St. 


By Boat and Rail. 


179 


Mary, which connects Lake Superior with 
Lake Huron, is sixty-three miles long and 
filled with rapids. The most prominent of 
these is the Sault Sainte Marie, having a 
descent of twenty-two feet to the mile. A 
ship canal has been built around the “ Sault,” 
which is the largest of any of its kind, 
being one third of a mile long, all of solid 
masonry, twenty-five feet high, and ten feet 
thick at the base. The gates of the locks 
are forty feet wide, and the canal is one hun¬ 
dred feet wide, with a depth of twelve feet. 
Steamers do not go through the “ Sault,” but 
Indians run their canoes through it, the passage 
being attended with much excitement. After 
passing the straits, the voyage is continued 
through Lakes Huron and St. Clair into Lake 
Erie, to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


N a trip to the West Indies we went via 



Thomasville, Georgia, and Jacksonville, 
Florida. At the former place we stopped for 
a fortnight’s shooting. This section of Georgia 
is slightly rolling, the soil sandy, and the 
country covered with extensive pine forests. 
Georgia produces more yellow pine than any 
other Southern State. The collecting of tur¬ 
pentine is one of the important industries of 
the people. The bark is removed from the 
trees for a space of six inches by thirty, and at 
the bottom a cup-shaped incision is made, into 
which the turpentine settles. The trees will 
stand tapping for five years, after which they 
become worthless for turpentine. It takes 
eight barrels of the crude fluid to make one of 
pure turpentine,*the residue being five barrels 
of rosin. 

The principal crop is cotton, which is still 
king, and the usual yield is about half a bale of 
marketable cotton to the acre. It takes fifteen 


i8o 


By Boat and Rail, 181 

hundred pounds of the crude to make five hun¬ 
dred pounds of lint or ginned cotton. Sugar¬ 
cane is raised to some extent, and is manufac¬ 
tured into syrup for home consumption. Rice 
is also cultivated in small quantities. Peanuts 
are grown in profusion, and the places where 
they are planted are called pindar patches,” 
some of which are planted especially for the 
pigs to feed in. Corn is not a profitable crop, 
the yield being only ten or twelve bushels to 
the acre, and of the nubbin kind. They raise 
neither wheat nor hay. 

Among the fruits are oranges, bananas, 
pomegranates, guava, and figs. Large quanti¬ 
ties of citrons, watermelons, and sweet-potatoes 
are raised, and find an early market in the 
Northern cities. 

Land is worth from five to ten dollars per 
acre, with the rattlesnakes thrown in. They 
have very tight and high fences, many being 
ten and twelve rails high and not staked ; they 
are “ horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.” 

Red foxes are very scarce, but gray ones are 
abundant; the latter do not make as good a 
hunt as the former, taking soon to the fence or 
tree, because they have not the same endurance 


i 82 


By Boat and Rail, 


as the red variety. The latter are said not to 
be natives of America, but to have been im¬ 
ported from Europe before the Revolution, as 
they gave more excitement in the chase* 
Hunting the wild-cat is a sport that is very 
common in this section. They are generally 
pursued on moonlight nights. On one occa¬ 
sion while hunting with three or four dogs, we 
jumped quite a large cat in the timber. A 
peculiarity of this animal is that it never 
raises its head until there is an obstacle to sur¬ 
mount. We had taken our position on a log; 
soon the cat came slowly trotting toward us. 
Allowing him to approach within twenty or 
thirty yards—which we judged to be about 
killing distance—then raising our gun, there 
was a flash, a report, and his marauding career 
was ended. 

Quail are plentiful, and with a good pair of 
dogs and a fair shot a bag of thirty could be 
easily made in a day. When we were going 
out several small boys made their appearance, 
and one asked Thomas W. Marshall: “ Does 
you Yankees want we ’uns to mark and tote de 
game for you ’uns? ” We engaged a half dozen 
at wholesale prices. They marked well, but 


By Boat and Rail, 183 

“ toted ” few. Beside quail there are large 
flocks of blackbirds, robins, and doves, which 
every spring migrate north to breed. The 
mocking-bird is everywhere ; it does not sing 
in the winter, but when spring returns and 
revivifies the earth with verdure and flowers, 
then this graceful bird fills the air with its 
voice, which is as sweet and varied as the 
multitudinous songsters of the groves. As 
Audubon says, “ the mellowness of the song, 
the varied modulations and gradations, the 
extent of its compass, the great brilliancy of 
execution, are unrivalled. There is probably 
no bird in the world that possesses all the 
musical qualifications of this king of song, who 
has derived all from Nature’s self.” 

The colored people are here to stay, and ap¬ 
pear to be doing well. Many own farms, and 
with industry and a pair of mules make their 
fields white with cotton, and turn dirt into 
gold. They do not take much interest in poli¬ 
tics, saying : “ Politics won’t make cotton, corn, 
and pork.” We, however, differed with them 
about the last article, 

Georgia is one of the most advanced of the 
Southern States. Railroads are being built, 


184 By Boat and RaiL 

and the whistle of the locomotive can be heard 
at almost every point. Factories, saw-mills, 
and industrial establishments are springing up 
in all directions. The Georgia “cracker” does 
not seem to realize, as he lolls in the warm sun 
and watches the buzzard swinging in the soft 
air, between the tops of the green pines and the 
blue sky, that his country may, eventually, be 
one of the most prosperous States of the Union. 

Leaving Thomasville we went to Jackson¬ 
ville. It is quite a different place now to what 
it was when we were stationed there during the 
war, as Surgeon of the Ninety-seventh Regi¬ 
ment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanded 
by Col. Henry R. Guss. Now it has a popula¬ 
tion of ten or fifteen thousand, street-cars, and 
other modern improvements, and has become 
a great winter resort for Northern people. In 
winter the daily arrival of visitors is enormous. 
On the site of our old regimental hospital 
there is a splendid hotel. We made a trip up 
the St. John’s River to the town of Enterprise. 
The river is sluggish, and cattle were observed 
standing in it, putting their heads at intervals 
under the water in search of a peculiar grass of 
which they are fond. Orange groves are plen- 


By Boat and Rail. 185 

tiful along its banks, and the golden fruit 
shone through the green leaves, making one 
forget that it was winter. Alligators basked in 
the sun, while cranes and red flamingoes walked 
with dignity through the marshes as if they 
owned the soil. We also witnessed a contest 
between an eagle and a fish-hawk. The hawk 
was fishing along the river, and the eagle, 
knowing his object, followed him at a strik¬ 
ing distance, but secluded himself among the 
trees. The hawk made several unsuccessful 
dives, but finally succeeded in catching quite a 
large fish. Then the eagle’s opportunity ar¬ 
rived, and, allowing the hawk to get clear of 
the trees, he made a rush under him and kept 
him over the bed of the river. He drove the 
hawk up until they both appeared no larger 
than pigeons. Satisfied that he was at the 
proper elevation, he opened battle in earnest, 
and soon some feathers came floating down, 
for it was a rough-and-tumble fight in the air. 
It was fish or no dinner. The savage and dex¬ 
terous attack of the eagle compelled the hawk 
to drop his prey. Closing his wings tight to 
his body, the eagle dropped like a thunderbolt 
and caught the fish in his talons just as it was 


i86 


By Boat and Rail. 

striking the water. Then the proud emblem 
of America flew to one of the tallest trees in 
the forest, where he quickly devoured his 
booty, apparently satisfied that “ to the vic¬ 
tor belong the spoils.” At Enterprise there 
are numerous mineral springs, and three kinds 
of water could be drunk within a few yards of 
each other. 

From Jacksonville we embarked for Nassau, 
New Providence, the capital of the Bahama 
Islands, and a colony of England. In the time 
of the Revolution Admiral Esek Hopkins 
sailed from Philadelphia with a squadron, cap¬ 
tured Nassau, and carried off the governor, 
eighty cannon, and a large quantity of ammu¬ 
nition, which were very beneficial to our cause 
at that period. Nassau has an equable tem¬ 
perature, both day and night, the thermometer 
registering about seventy degrees. All the 
tropical fruits grow here. The banyan tree 
with its branches grows downward into the 
ground, and the silk cotton tree will shade a 
thousand people. The harbor is about three 
miles long and from thirty to eighty feet deep, 
the water being as clear as the air. It is great 
sport to see the natives diving for coin. When 


By Boat and Rail. 


187 


a vessel arrives scores of these half-clad negroes 
swim around the vessel and beg the passengers 
to throw out money. As soon as it strikes the 
water away go half a dozen to capture the 
prize. You can see the silver shimmering in 
the water until it is caught. The process in 
repeated until the demand exceeds the supply. 
It is said that the whites are shy of diving, as 
they are too conspicuous, and the sharks “ love 
a shining mark.” The bottom of the harbor is 
of a bright greenish hue, and the effect pro¬ 
duced is beautiful and deceptive. To the 
stranger, looking down into the depth of water, 
it does not appear to be more than five or eight 
feet in the deepest part. Along Hog Island, 
which is the bathing ground, many a novice 
jumps from a boat, expecting to get a footing 
at three or four feet, but he goes that many 
yards below the surface without touching bot¬ 
tom. The entrance to the harbor is defended 
by two forts, and the depth of water on the 
bar will admit vessels drawing fourteen feet. 
The sea-garden is a wonder; on the bottom 
can be seen miniature castles and grottos 
composed of coral and sponge, with fish as 
beautiful as humming-birds, darting around the 


i88 


By Boat and RaiL 

shells, which shine like pearls. On the banks 
of the harbor are tons of coal and cinder, 
which were left by the blockade-runners, as this 
port was one of the great resorts for contra¬ 
band traffic during our late war. Here vessels 
coaled and were loaded and unloaded with 
goods of every kind, from wearing apparel, 
provision, and medicine to ammunition and 
cannon; returning from the Southern ports 
they brought cotton. These vessels ran into 
Charleston, Wilmington, Savannah, and Mobile. 

The lookout of Blackbeard, the pirate of the 
old buccaneer days, still stands, as does his old 
pirate fort. A mile to the west of Nassau is a 
beautiful cave, also called after the celebrated 
freebooter. In it, the natives say, he had much 
of his treasure hidden, and, though they ap¬ 
pear to believe that it contains a great amount of 
wealth, they will not make an effort to recover 
it for fear that it will bring some calamity on the 
island. Several attempts were made to dig in 
the cave, but as soon as the pick and shovel were 
put in operation the groans and moaning were 
so appalling that the work was abandoned. It 
is probable that this noise was simply the 
echo. 


By Boat and RaiL 189 

The streets of Nassau are cut out of the 
solid rock, and rise terrace-like from the shore 
to the height of several feet. The island is of 
coral formation; on the north it is barren, but 
on the south and west it is fairly productive. 
Half the population are happy and lazy 
negroes. They are the police and magistrates, 
and generally run the local affairs. A garrison 
of white soldiers and a colonial governor are 
always stationed on the island. 


CHAPTER XXXV. 


H avana, the capital of Cuba, was full 
of strangers at the time of our arrival, 
as it was the week of the carnival. Churches 
and amusements were well attended. The 
natives went to the former in the morning, in 
the afternoon to bull and cock-fights, and at 
night to mask-balls. The Plaza de Armes, the 
square on which the captain-general’s palace 
is situated, reminded us of Paris, so brilliantly 
was it lighted, and enlivened with music by the 
governor’s band. 

The Paseo de Isabel, named in honor of 
Isabella L, is one of the finest streets in the 
city, laid out with walks, carriage drives, and 
several rows of trees. There is a large statue 
of the queen in the square at the head of the 
park, where a military band plays national airs 
every evening. Another handsome street is 
La Reina, or Queen Street, on which are the 
botanical gardens. At the corner of Empe- 
drada and San Yanacio streets is the old 


By Boat and RaiL 191 

cathedral, built of dark-colored stone, but now 
so old that it is almost black. It was built in 
1724, and in it are the remains of the great 
navigator, Christopher Columbus. 

He died at Valladolid, Spain, in 1506, aged 
seventy years. In 1513 his body was taken to 
Seville, and deposited in the family vault of 
the Dukes of Alcala. In 1536 the remains 
were conveyed to Santo Domingo, where they 
rested until 1796, when they were finally dis¬ 
interred, and removed to Havana. Over his 
tomb is a niche in the wall, in which is his 
marble bust. All the churches in Havana are 
filled with life-sized paintings of celebrated 
persons and saints; the music is good, and the 
lepers sit at the church doors asking alms from 
those who go in or come out. 

The private residences are all barred like 
prisons, whether to keep the proprietor in or 
the robber out, is not known. As Cuba is 
always very warm, white clothing is almost 
constantly worn by the adults, and, as for the 
little children, they were not troubled with bad- 
fitting clothes. 

There are forty thousand soldiers on the 
island to look after the claims of Spain, and to 


192 


By Boat and Rail, 


keep the “ patriots ” quiet. We visited the 
noted fish-market where fish are sold alive, 
being kept in large tanks. The market bears 
the name of Tacon, who was the most enter¬ 
prising captain-general that ever governed the 
island. The name was given to the market 
by a noted smuggler and pirate, named Marti. 
He had been outlawed by Tacon, who had 
offered a large reward for his capture. There 
is a story current that, after the reward had 
been published, Marti, one night, appeared at 
the palace of the captain-general, and having 
managed to evade the guards, succeeded in 
reaching Tacon’s room without being seen. 
An interview took place between the outlawed 
smuggler and the governor, at the close of 
which the pirate went forth with a pardon for 
himself and companions, and a concession to 
build a fish-market, of which he was to have the 
control for ten years, when it was to become 
the property of the government. He named 
the market in honor of his patron. At the 
expiration of the ten years, he entered into 
another contract to build the famous Tacon 
theatre upon the same conditions. 

Cows are driven through the streets with 


By Boat and Rail, 


193 


their calves tied to their tails, and are milked 
for the customers at their doors, thus insuring 
a pure supply of the lacteal fluid. Small horses 
carry stores on their backs, with glass cases and 
panniers so large that the rider has to take hold 
of the horse’s tail to mount, and then sit cross- 
legged over the animal’s neck. They have 
some fine Andalusian horses, and the riders sit 
the saddles admirably. 

The volante is the national vehicle, resem¬ 
bling our old-time gig with its high wheels ; 
the shafts are very long, and the horse is several 
feet from the dashboard, so far, that, if the ani¬ 
mal kicked, its heels would not reach the occu¬ 
pants. The driver is really a rider, for he is 
mounted on one of the horses attached to the 
vehicle. 

Tobacco is one of the principal products of 
the island,—sugar being the first. The finest 
plantations are west of Havana, in that district 
known as the Vuelta Abajo, where the best 
tobacco in the world for making cigars is raised. 
Not only do the men smoke, but also the wo¬ 
men and children indulge in the luxury. You 
may get a very good cigar for five, or a very 
bad one for ten cents. 


13 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


B efore leaving Cuba we visited Matan 
zas, which is sixty miles east of Havana 
and connected with it by a railroad. On the 
route we passed sugar and tobacco plantations, 
fields of pine-apples, groves of bananas, cocoa- 
nuts, and graceful palms. The houses are 
thatched, and the planters scratch the soil with 
a wooden plough drawn by oxen yoked by 
their horns. We saw herds of small horses, 
cattle, and goats, and flocks of game chickens. 
Matanzas is built upon a bay of the same name, 
which is formed by the San Juan and Yumarri 
rivers. The city is much like New York in 
point of maritime location. The harbor is one 
of the best in the West Indies. The streets 
are choked with trade, dust, and heat. The 
population is about forty thousand. 

Securing a volante drawn by two horses, and 
a postilion riding one to urge the other, we 
rumbled along the rocky road at a flying pace 
until we reached the glittering caves of Bella- 


194 


By Boat and Rail, 


195 


mar, which are about three miles from Matan- 
zas. The cave is entered by a stairway. The 
first apartment, which is called the “ Gothic 
Temple,” nearly two hundred feet long and 
about seventy-five feet wide, is iridescent with 
crystals of every hue, which are dazzling and 
beautiful. There are a number of smaller rooms 
with glittering stalagmites and stalactites, mak¬ 
ing quaint forms, to which have been given 
such names as “ The Mountain,” “ The Mantle 
of Columbus,” The Guardian Spirit,” “ The 
Petticoat,” “ The Sacred Altar,” and “ The 
Cloak of the Virgin.” “ The Fountain of 
Snow ” is a most agreeable feature of these 
forms. This cave, although grand, cannot be 
compared to the cave of Luray. 

Returning to Matanzas, the drive took us 
through the lovely valley of Yumarri, named 
after the river which winds through it. The 
houses were all white, with tiled roofs. From 
Matanzas we returned to Havana, where we 
witnessed a hal masque, at which the partici¬ 
pants appeared in fantastic costumes, black 
masks, and blacker eyes. The dance was slow 
and well timed by the beautiful senoritas; 
and when we left the ball, the watchman, 


196 By Boat and Rail. 

with lantern and spear, was telling how goes 
the night. 

The Tacon theatre, which has already been 
referred to, has a seating capacity of three 
thousand. There is a very good rule observed 
at this theatre, which might be adopted in 
other places, to wit: the manager is required 
to give first-class performances, to insure which 
an officer of the government is always on hand, 
and if he discovers that the play is being badly 
or indifferently rendered, he arrests and fines 
the manager. 

Our stay in Havana having been completed, 
we embarked on the City of Alexandria for 
Mexico, and soon were passing under the 
sombre-looking El Morro, with its continu¬ 
ally tramping sentinel, while the vesper bells 
were ringing as we bade adieu to the “ Gem of 
the Antilles.” El Morro is on the right as 
you pass out of the harbor, and on the left 
is La Punta, while back on the highlands, 
overlooking El Morro, is the immense for¬ 
tress La Cabafias. These three are the guar¬ 
dians of the city. After sundown no vessels 
are permitted to enter or leave the port until 
sunrise the next day. 


By Boat and Rail. 


197 


Passing through the narrow channel of the 
harbor we steamed away for Yucatan and 
Vera Cruz. On the way we stopped at the 
town of Progresso, one of the principal ports 
on the north coast of the peninsula of Yuca¬ 
tan, at which we left a cargo of corn, flour, and 
iron, and in return received sisal-hemp. Every¬ 
thing is lightered to and from the steamer, as 
they have no wharves. The native Indians 
are still numerous, and wear sandals tied to 
their feet by straps running between their toes. 
The men carry heavy loads on their backs, 
which are supported by bands around their 
foreheads, while the women sell fruit and get 
fat by sitting still. Merida, about twenty-two 
miles inland, is the capital of Yucatan, where 
all the merchants live who transact their busi¬ 
ness in Progresso. The streets are not named, 
nor do they designate their houses by num¬ 
bers, but base the locality upon a street corner 
which has been given a name ; for instance, 
the “ Corner of the Duck,” or the “ Corner of 
the Elephant,” and then say: “Our place of 
business, or residence, is the second door from 
the left of the ‘ Corner of the Duck.’ ” 

The trip from Havana to Vera Cruz was 


198 


By Boat and Rail, 


pleasant, as the winds were favorable and the 
gulf smooth. There were about seventy-five 
passengers, representing various conditions and 
countries—the Mexican with his head thrust 
through his poncho, the tightly clothed dandy 
from Paris, the olive-hued and black-eyed 
Cuban girl, and the high-heeled and bejewelled 
damsel from the States. This steamer was 
built by John Roach, the great shipbuilder 
of Chester, Pennsylvania, and was twenty-five 
hundred tons burden. It made fifteen knots 
an hour, and burned forty tons of coal 
daily. All the appointments were excellent, 
such as swinging-berths, barber saloon, bath¬ 
rooms, good fare, and polite officers. On 
the passage we saw but few vessels, but 
sharks, devil-fish, and flocks of flying-fish were 
abundant. 

Vera Cruz, as we steamed into the harbor, 
looked beautiful with its white and blue domes, 
but it is a “ whited sepulchre.” It is built in 
the shape of a crescent, facing upon the gulf. 
There are a number of churches and a cathe¬ 
dral, built in the old Spanish style. The court¬ 
house and the prison adjoining, situated on an 
open plaza, are very imposing in appearance, 


By Boat and Rail, 


199 


and the pavements around them are tesselated. 
The people are not given to hard work, as 
horse-racing, chicken-fighting, and gambling 
appear to be the order of the day. 

There is a strong wall around the city, and 
the fort, San Juan d’Ulloa, which is upon an 
island about a half mile from the shore, is its 
means of defence. Here, after a bombardment 
of seven days. General Scott landed during the 
Mexican war, and with his victorious army 
marched into the city. Now, there are about 
sixteen thousand inhabitants. The hotels are 
poor, the harbor uncertain and dangerous, and 
the drainage horrible, which make the town a 
pest-hole for yellow-fever and other diseases. 
Buzzards seem to be the only scavengers, and 
here you may see the curious anomaly of a 
boy, dog, and buzzard fighting for the same 
bone. The country around is sterile and unin¬ 
teresting. There is a railroad two hundred and 
seventy-five miles long, connecting Vera Cruz 
with the city of Mexico, which was constructed 
and is operated by English capital. It is a 
wonderful piece of engineering, as it passes 
over and through mountains until it reaches an 
altitude of ten thousand feet. The scenery is 


200 


By Boat and Rail. 

like that of the Alps and the Yosemite, neither 
of which surpasses it in beauty or grandeur. 
You can look down upon clouds, trees, and 
cultivated valleys, while Mount Orizaba, seven¬ 
teen thoirsand feet above the sea, looms up 
seven thousand feet above the track. It is an 
extinct volcano, seventy miles from the coast 
and visible for miles at sea. It is capped with 
perpetual snow and surrounded by fields that 
are always green. Three distinct climates are 
experienced in a single day. There is the blos¬ 
som and the fruit, the green grain and ripe ear, 
and flowers in continual bloom. Corn, coffee, 
tobacco, wheat, sugar-cane, rice, bananas, 
oranges, and apples grow almost side by side. 
It is always seed-time and harvest in Mexico. 

After leaving the mountains and the valleys, 
the road strikes the plains, which are of a 
loamy soil, and produce grain in abundance. 
Wood and water are scarce. Immense flocks 
of sheep and herds of cattle may be seen, with 
shepherds and dogs tending them, and gay 
horsemen swinging in the saddle, as they throw 
the lassos over the horns of the straying cattle. 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 



S you approach the city of Mexico, you 


X V see long lines of donkeys with loads 
larger than themselves, and four horses abreast 
drawing wagons with solid wooden wheels, the 
creaking of which can be heard for miles. The 
hay and fodder stacks are models of agricul¬ 
tural architecture, having crosses worked on 
their gables, and being impervious to the ele¬ 
ments. Soldiers are on guard at each station 
to protect passengers and property from 
sudden invasion, as robbers here are not 
like angels’ visits. 

The olive-skinned women and darker men 
are anxious, with voice and gesture, to sell 
fruit and wares at every stop. The native men 
are to be seen with huge sombreros, pistols, 
and knives, incessantly rolling tobacco in corn- 
husk, which they smoke continually, and pass¬ 
ing the greater part of the day dreaming of 
love and revolution. We passed many miles 
of maguey plants, from which the natives 


201 


202 


By Boat and Rail. 

extract the pulque. This is the national drink, 
and is collected by tearing out the inner leaves 
of the plant, and making a cup-like receptacle 
into which the juice settles. It is then sucked 
by the natives into a long gourd, transferred to 
skins, and afterwards emptied into hogsheads. 
Special trains convey it from the country into 
the city, the railway company receiving thou¬ 
sands of dollars daily for its transportation. 

The people of Mexico are very superstitious. 
It is told of them that, when the first steam¬ 
threshing machine was brought into the 
country, they were inquisitive as to its mode of 
operation and the source of its power. The 
machinist in charge told them that the devil 
was inside. The next morning he found a 
great number of wooden crosses around the 
machine, and when he inquired what they were 
for, the people said, to keep the devil in.” 
At night, all of the stock on the haciendas are 
driven into an enclosure, which is surrounded 
by a high and strong wall to protect the 
animals from thieves. Some of these Mexicans 
are exceedingly wealthy. One of them, whose 
hacienda had been raided by brigands, on being 
asked if he had sustained any loss, replied: 


By Boat and Rail, 


203 

“ They took a mule-load of my kitchen silver 
only; my other service they did not find.” 

The city of Mexico has a population of three 
hundred thousand. The streets run at right 
angles. There are two beautiful streets, or 
paseos as they are called, which are wide and 
well paved. The Rio Paseo is on the west 
side, and the Paseo de la V^ga on the east, 
both being embellished with fountains and 
statuary, and at night illuminated by electric 
lights. On many of the streets cars have been 
introduced. The police arrangements are ad¬ 
mirable, and you are perfectly safe at all hours 
of the night. In some parts, which are not so 
well lighted, they place a lantern in the centre 
of the cross-streets, and if you wish an officer 
you will always find him in proximity to the 
lantern. The houses are well built of hewn 
stone of a light color, with roofs constructed 
of brick, and without chimneys, as they use 
charcoal for heating and cooking purposes. 
Some of the inhabitants live in luxurious style, 
and the appointments of their houses indicate 
prosperity. The churches, of which there are 
over sixty, under the exclusive control of the 
government, are objects of unusual interest. 


204 Boat and Rail. 

The finest of the churches is San Domingo, but 
the most wonderful is the cathedral, which is 
built upon the ruins of the temple of the 
Aztec god. It is an immense structure, with 
elegantly carved and massive pillars and gilded 
images. The Church of Guadaloupe has an 
image of the Virgin, who is said to have 
appeared on the mountain. The people who 
are sick make pilgrimages to it, where they 
pray and drink the water, hoping to be healed 
of their infirmities. Although revolutions have 
torn the country into shreds, the soldiers of all 
factions have respected the shrine of Guada¬ 
loupe. The palaces, museums, and public 
buildings are filled with objects of interest. 
The national palace, formerly the residence of 
Cortez, the first viceroy, is now occupied by 
the President. Here also lived Iturbide and 
Maximilian, both of whom were emperors, 
condemned to death, and shot. The palace is 
covered on the inside with paintings of the 
generals, emperors, kings, and presidents of 
Mexico. Among them they have honored us 
by placing the portrait of General Wash¬ 
ington. Here also are seen the silver-plate 
and the carriage of the unfortunate Maxi- 


By Boat and Rail. 205 

milian, the carriage alone costing fifty thousand 
dollars. 

The old aqueduct still supplies the city with 
water, but a new one is in course of construc¬ 
tion. The city is below the level of the lakes, 
which makes it difficult to properly drain the 
streets. Mexico is so old that its history is a 
fiction, and the story of the Toltecs and Aztecs 
is written in rude characters on stone and in 
the crumbling ruins. Their pyramids, built of 
adobe, are still standing, and the sacrificial 
stone marks their cruelties. Their calendar 
stone, the idols which they worshipped, their 
instruments of war and peace, and their em¬ 
blems of love are still to be seen. The “ God 
of Death ” is represented with a serpent in his 
girdle and corn in the palm of his hand, telling 
the old story, that no one escapes his grasp. 
We went to the once floating gardens, to reach 
which we were poled down the canal in a scow 
by a native Indian. This canal connects the 
lakes, which were once lined with palaces and 
thronged with business and pleasure. Now 
their greatness has gone, the gardens have 
sunk, and the onion supersedes the rose. On 
account of the high situation of the city there 


2o6 


By Boat and RaiL 

is no yellow-fever epidemic, as the fever only 
reaches a certain altitude. 

The habits, dress, and customs of the people 
are almost the same as in Cuba and Spain, and 
many of the women are beautiful. In the 
afternoon the Paseo de la Vega is crowded with 
as elegant equipages as can be seen anywhere. 
The men sit their horses well, and both seem 
proud of their appearance. They carry enough 
gold and silver ornaments on their saddles and 
bridles to start a small circus. The Indians 
and donkeys appear to be the most active, 
though even they do not seem to hanker after 
work. 

Labor is cheap, thirty cents a day being con¬ 
sidered good wages. Any kind of seed that is 
put into the ground will reproduce itself. Fruit 
is abundant and costs but a trifle, consequently 
living is cheap. A blanket with a hole in it to 
put the head through is not expensive, yet we 
saw that the poverty of some of the inhabitants 
was so distressing that they did not even pos¬ 
sess the cheap blanket. Lazarus would have 
blushed at their filth and sores. 

The Republic of Mexico has ten or fifteen 
millions of inhabitants. It is rich in gold and 


By Boat and RaiL 207 

silver mines, some of which have not been 
worked for three hundred years. There are 
mines eight miles long and over sixteen hun¬ 
dred feet deep, which, if properly worked, 
would annually produce twenty million dollars. 
The climate is perfect, the mercury standing at 
about sixty-five degrees the year around. The 
atmosphere is so pure that we saw venison 
drying in the sun. 

Two and a half miles from the city is Cha- 
pultepec, the royal hill of the Montezumas. It 
is a rock of porphyry one hundred and fifty 
feet high, on the summit of which was the pal¬ 
ace of the ancient kings of the Aztecs. It is 
now surmounted by a castle, and the fort of 
Molino del Rey is near its base. Both were 
stormed by General Scott before he entered the 
city of Mexico. Around the base of the rock 
are immense cypress trees, centuries old, some 
of them measuring fifty feet in circumference. 
A strong spring, gushing from the base of the 
hill, supplies the city with water. 

The volcanoes of Popocatepetl, 18,500 feet 
high, and Iztaccihuatl are seen in the distance, 
the latter being so called on account of the 
perpetual snow on its top, which takes the form 


2o8 


By Boat and Rail, 


of a woman dressed in white. The tree, 
“ Noche Trieste,” is still standing, under the 
shade of which Cortez wept when he was driven 
from the city. 

We visited the national pawn-shop, where 
we saw handfuls of diamonds and pearls and 
millions of silver dollars. 

While in the city we witnessed a bull-fight, 
which was an exciting performance. The en¬ 
raged animal, infuriated with fire and steel, 
made activity a necessity for his red-flagged 
tormentors, as he often grazed their buckskin 
breeches with his sharp horns and tramped 
their flags in the dust. On this occasion four 
bulls and as many horses were killed. It was a 
shocking sight to see the poor horses being 
spurred up to the fight, and the bulls goring 
out their bowels and tossing them in the air. 
Each act was terminated by the matadore, who, 
with a long sword and a red flag, stood in front 
of the bull, and, as the animal rushed at him, 
he plunged the sword with great dexterity into 
the nape of the neck. The animal staggered 
and fell, the blood gushing from its nostrils 
and mouth. The matadore bowed, and the 
four thousand spectators threw up their hats 


By Boat and Rail. 


209 


and fans and shouted at the slaughter. In the 
evening we saW excited crowds betting over 
bloody gaffs and dying chickens. It was a 
holiday of brutality and blood. 

We stopped while here at a hotel which was 
built as a palace for the Emperor Iturbide. 
On the occasion of our visit to Mexico every¬ 
thing was going on well with the government, 
and revolutions and politics, like tallow, were 
quoted quiet. 

M 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


H aving completed our visit to the 
Mexican capital, we returned to 
Vera Cruz and took steamer for New Or¬ 
leans. The trip along the gulf coast was 
pleasant and without any incident of particu¬ 
lar notice. It took five days to reach the 
deltas of the Mississippi. Captain Eads has 
made a wonderful improvement at the entrance 
of this river by his jetties. The channel, which 
was being constantly obstructed by the depos¬ 
its of mud, has been deepened, so that now 
vessels of any draught may find a safe entrance 
and ascend the “ Father of Waters ” as high 
up as New Orleans. 

The Mississippi is a wonderful stream and 
one of the longest in the world. With its 
tributaries it drains an area of a million and a 
quarter square miles. Nearly all the water be¬ 
tween the Gulf of Mexico and British America, 
and between the Rocky Mountains and the Al- 
leghanies, empties into it. Every year or so 


210 



By Boat and Rail, 


211 


the country along its banks is inundated and 
millions of dollars’ worth of property is de¬ 
stroyed. Various suggestions have been made 
by competent civil engineers, as to how the 
immense volume of water which is carried 
down this stream may be confined to its 
natural channel. Levees have been built, yet 
they have not resulted in any permanent pro¬ 
tection to the planters. The floods raise the 
stream from twenty to forty feet above the low- 
water mark. Recently our government had 
under consideration the construction of a series 
of canals to carry the overplus of water into 
other streams, and thus carry it back gradually 
to the river. 

On our visit to New Orleans one of the most 
destructive floods that had ever devastated the 
country was in progress, and the river presented 
a turbid and uninviting appearance. On reach¬ 
ing the city we recalled to memory the days when 
General Butler was in full power, who proved a 
great benefactor to its people, by compelling 
them to keep the streets clean, and thereby pre¬ 
venting yellow fever from becoming epidemic. 

The steamers which ply upon the river be¬ 
tween New Orleans and St. Louis are floating 


212 


By Boat and RaiL 


palaces. They are large and roomy double- 
deckers, brilliantly illuminated with electric 
lights. They are painted white and embellished 
with plenty of gilding. The trip was one of 
grandeur and excitement, as it was made during 
the flood. The country was completely sub¬ 
merged for miles on either side, and gave the 
appearance of an immense inland sea, only, in¬ 
stead of ships and boats, debris composed 
of trees, houses, and islands floated past. 
From one of these temporary floating islands 
our captain rescued a man, and another from an 
overturned dug-out. We did not keep to the 
river channel, but made short cuts across the 
bends, and frequently took up people, with 
their household effects, from some of the land 
which had not been covered. One evening a 
severe storm came on and the captain ran the 
steamer into a forest which was partially sub¬ 
merged and made fast to a big tree. As the 
boat forged along it broke down the smaller 
timber, which crackled like picket firing. We 
stopped at Vicksburg, Memphis, and some other 
points, but only long enough to exchange pas¬ 
sengers and a little freight. At St. Louis we 
took the cars for the East. 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 


I T was on a sharp, early spring morning 
when we steamed out of New York Har¬ 
bor, on the steamer Colorado, bound for Rio 
Janeiro. The steamer had to touch at several 
ports before reaching its destination. 

The first was St. Thomas, a rugged Danish 
island belonging to the Virgin group of the 
West Indies. The United States treated with 
Denmark for its purchase several. years ago, 
but the two nations could not come to terms. 
It would have been a good investment for us 
as a coaling station. 

Sugar-cane and a few vegetables are the 
principal productions. The capital is Char¬ 
lotte Amalie, a city built on three hills, having 
a population of twelve or fifteen thousand, 
which is about the total population of the 
island. St. Thomas is chiefly noted as hav¬ 
ing been the rendezvous of the buccaneers 
who infested the West Indies two centuries 
ago. 

213 


214 


By Boat and Rail. 


On this island they had one of their look¬ 
outs, and the ruins of an old watch-tower are 
still to be seen. Here, also, Santa Anna took 
refuge when he failed in his attempts to be¬ 
come the absolute ruler of Mexico, and was 
obliged to leave the country. He had a resi¬ 
dence in the country near the city of Charlotte 
Amalie. 

St. Thomas is a free port and the principal 
coaling station for all American vessels bound 
along the South American coast; three thou¬ 
sand vessels annually visit it. The town is a 
hot place, full of negroes, Jews, and sailors. 
Our steamer lay there for about three hours, 
to exchange mails and passengers and to take 
in coal. It is not a healthy place, and the 
death-rate is high. The principal disease is 
consumption, caused by poor food and the 
miserable manner in which they generally live. 

We took on board for “ Rio ” a French 
opera troupe, which had come from Mexico. 
They were pretty well done up, as the voyage 
had been a very rough one, consequently they 
were anything but musical, and their song was 
not of the sea. They had with them a great 
number of pets, and the prima donna had for 


By Boat and Rail, 


215 


her special amusement a monkey, on which 
she lavished her affections and jewelry, for it 
had diamond earrings and a gold necklace. 
There was nothing too good for its stomach. 
But there was a sudden termination to her 
love, for on one occasion the monkey, being 
irritable, made his teeth meet in her finger, at 
which she immediately snatched the jewelry 
from him and threw him into the sea, showing 
that there is but one step between love and 
hate, especially monkey-love. 

From St. Thomas we stood away for Para, 
our first Brazilian port. To reach it we were 
obliged to cross “ the line,” which has been 
made so much of by sailors. The North Star, 
as we approached the equator, gradually disap¬ 
peared in the north, while the Southern Cross, 
a grand constellation, became visible in the 
south. Under the equator the shadow cast by 
the sun is very small, that of your body not 
extending beyond your feet. The heat was 
intense, the mercury standing 96° in the shade, 
and by placing an ordinary Fahrenheit ther¬ 
mometer in the sun it burst in a short time. 
We also encountered the trade-winds, which 
blow from the northeast north of the equator, 


By Boat and Rail, 


216 

and from the southeast south of the equator. 
We saw sword-fish, dolphins, porpoises, sharks, 
flying-fish, and occasionally a whale. The fly¬ 
ing-fish, from ten to twelve inches long, do 
not move their wing-like fins, but sail some¬ 
thing like a flying squirrel. Several of them, 
in their flight, dropped on the deck of the 
vessel. Paradoxical as it may seem, sailors 
eat fewer fresh fish than any other class of 
people, as edible fish are seldom caught in 
fifty fathoms of water, generally keeping near 
the coast. The only bird we noticed was the 
stormy petrel, called by sailors Mother Carey’s 
chicken, similar in shape and size to a barn- 
swallow, and the smallest web-footed bird. In 
the Orkney Islands, where it breeds, it be¬ 
comes so fat that it is substituted for a candle 
by running a wick through its body. When 
they are seen in large numbers it is believed 
by mariners to be an indication of a storm. 
We passed the “ Roccas,” situated in the ocean 
about one hundred and twenty miles from 
Cape St. Roque. In bad weather they become 
an object of much anxiety to seamen. 

In due time we reached the mouth of the 
great Amazon, which comes rolling through 


By Boat and Rail. 217 

an almost uninhabited country. Its banks are 
covered with dense forests, which produce all 
kinds of medicinal and ornamental woods. 
Wild animals, serpents, and insects, the latter 
from the size of the minute “ jagger,” to beetles 
as large as a turtle, and birds of gorgeous 
plumage, inhabit them. 

Lying right in the mouth of the Amazon is 
the Johannes Island. The left or northern 
arm of the river is the true Amazon, and the 
right or the southern branch is the Para, up 
which stream a distance of seventy-five miles is 
the city of Para. It is the chief trading port of 
Northern Brazil. The harbor is a capacious 
one, and vessels of the heaviest draught can 
find accommodation. The population is about 
forty-five thousand. The houses are white, 
with red-tiled roofs, which is very trying to 
those not accustomed to the glare of the red 
and the reflection of the white. 

Para was founded in 1616. The climate is 
agreeable, although an equatorial city. In the 
forenoon it is hot, but towards evening a cool 
sea breeze springs up, generally accompanied 
by a shower, which purifies the air and cleans 
the streets. The water for drinking purposes. 


2I8 


By Boat and Rail. 

which is brought from springs situated in the 
country, is carried around in barrels on a 
wagon, and sold for a small sum per gallon. 

The chief export is india-rubber, all the rub¬ 
ber from South America being shipped from 
this port. It is gathered with but little labor. 
The milk of the tree is collected by the Indians, 
which is colored dark by smoke, and then 
rolled into balls about a half foot in diame¬ 
ter. In addition to rubber, dye-woods, cocoa, 
tobacco, and coffee are exported. 

Leaving Para, we sailed for Pernambuco, 
located on an ample bay, well protected from 
the ocean by a reef. The city has a population 
of about one hundred and thirty thousand. The 
streets are well constructed. This city is the 
great sugar mart of Brazil. A walk around the 
sugar warehouses is interesting. The sugar can 
be seen oozing through the bags, liquefied 
under the great heat of the sun, and actually 
running into the streets in rivulets. A ride 
was taken for several miles into the country, 
which carried us into the domain of lively 
monkeys and brilliant parrots. There are many 
old Portuguese customs still observed in this 
city. People are yet carried around in the 


By Boat and Rail, 219 

sedan-chair, probably the only place where it 
is used outside of China. 

From Pernambuco our steamer took us to 
Bahia, the oldest city of Brazil, situated on 
All-Saints Bay. The harbor is lighted by a 
revolving light, which can be seen on a clear 
night twenty-five miles at sea. Bahia has about 
one hundred and forty thousand inhabitants, 
and is divided into two parts. The lower town 
is on the bay, where all the trade is carried on. 
The upper town is several hundred feet above 
the lower, and is reached either by a number 
of zigzag paths, with steps cut into the rock, 
or by an elevator. The view from the upper 
town is grand. The bay is one hundred miles 
in circumference. The streets, though undu¬ 
lating, are well paved. A French company has 
undertaken the contract to properly drain the 
city, and has introduced waterworks. Making 
cigars, shoes, and cotton fabrics are the princi¬ 
pal industries. The natives here have a curious 
nautical craft, called the catamaran, consisting 
of several logs lashed together and a sail. On 
this frail raft they brave the rough waves and 
winds in their occupation of fishermen. 

From this port our voyage to Rio Janeiro 


220 


By Boat and Rail. 


was exceedingly monotonous and oppressive. 
For days we did not see a sail. There was 
nothing but the sky, the ship, and the sea. At 
night the wake of the vessel could be traced by 
the sparkling light caused by the phosphorus 
and animalculae in the water ; and to the south¬ 
ward could be seen the “ Magellanic Clouds,” 
which appear like two thin and white clouds, 
but in reality are composed of numerous stars, 
clusters, and nebulae. 


CHAPTER XL. 


I T requires about three weeks, including the 
stops, to make the trip from New York 
to Rio Janeiro, the distance being about 5,500 
miles. 

Rio, as the city is usually called by seamen 
and those trading in South America, is the 
capital and chief city of Brazil, having a popu¬ 
lation of nearly four hundred thousand. It is 
situated on a magnificent bay, eighteen miles 
long and twelve, wide, and has frequently been 
compared with the Bay of Naples. The en¬ 
trance to the harbor, which is a mile wide, is 
defended by two fortresses, Santa Cruz and St. 
Joan. On approaching the harbor, the first 
object seen is Sugar-Loaf Mountain, which 
looms up on the left; off to the southwest are 
the Corcovado Mountains, where they procure 
the water-supply for the city. This mountain 
resembles a man in a reclining position. The 
“ Gavia," or Top-Sail Mountain, is another high 
point of land which appears like an immense 


221 


222 


By Boat and Rail 

sail. After passing the Narrows, on either side 
of which are located the forts, the bay widens ; 
on the left bank is the city, and farther up a 
number of picturesque islands. 

There were no wharves at Rio until within a 
few years. The late John Roach, of Chester, 
Pennsylvania, made a proposition to Dom 
Pedro, that, if the Brazilian government would 
give him the grant, he would construct wharves 
at his own expense, stipulating that he was to 
receive the revenues therefrom for a specified 
time, at the expiration of which they were to 
become the property of the government. The 
old Emperor declined the proposition, as he 
feared that it would deprive a large number 
of people of their occupation, viz., the loading 
and unloading of vessels. The government 
has, however, in later years done that which 
they had previously declined. 

Rio is a very hot city, almost continually 
subject to yellow fever. This epidemic is 
largely due to imperfect drainage, and the 
neglect of sanitary regulations. The streets 
are quite narrow, some of them being so con¬ 
tracted that carriages cannot pass each other. 
There is a law governing the course of vehicles; 


223 


By Boat and Rail. 

finger-boards are placed upon the houses, 
similar to our pointer-boards, and no one is 
allowed to drive in an opposite direction to 
the index. 

The “ old town ” is separated from the new 
by a handsome square, called the Campos de 
Santa Anna, which extends entirely across the 
city. This park is artistically adorned with 
statuary, fountains, stately palms, myrtle, and 
fragrant orange and lemon trees. It is the 
favorite resort of all classes, and in the evening 
a fine orchestra, under the pay of the govern¬ 
ment, entertains the people with national airs. 
The “new town” is built back upon the high 
lands. Its streets are well paved, the houses 
substantial, and constructed principally of 
granite. 

As the late Emperor was an enthusiastic 
patron of whatever tended to advance the 
interests of the city and to benefit the people, 
there are large libraries, well-conducted charities, 
numerous benevolent institutions, colleges, and 
military and naval schools,—the result of his 
public spirit. 

Every Brazilian citizen who is twenty-five 
years of age has a right to vote, and all who 


224 


By Boat and Rail. 


have an income of one hundred and twenty- 
five dollars a year are eligible as electors. The 
people are over-burdened with taxation ; every¬ 
thing is taxed, even to a business sign. 

In the principal business streets some strange 
sights are to be seen—for instance, long pro¬ 
cessions of negroes, some carrying bags of 
coffee on their heads, others pushing heavily 
loaded two-wheeled wagons over the cobble 
stones, and others moving in gangs of four, six, 
or eight, with their loads suspended between 
them on heavy poles. The mule is a much- 
respected animal in Brazil, as he is protected 
by the law from the lash. 

The windows of the stores glisten with 
diamonds and precious stones, that can be 
bought cheap in the rough state. Some stores 
are entirely devoted to the sale of animals, 
birds, and reptiles. Beautiful artificial flowers 
are made from the feathers of birds, so ex¬ 
quisite that they charm the women and deceive 
the bees. Large numbers of monkeys, parrots, 
birds of beautiful plumage, and anacondas are 
shipped annually to the United States and 
Europe. A minute monkey, called the mar¬ 
moset, is a great pet in the household, as he 


By Boat and Rail. 225 

amuses the children, and performs the duties 
of a fine tooth-comb. 

Electric light and gas have been introduced. 
The omnibus is fast disappearing, and the 
street-car is taking its place. 

While in Rio we visited Petropolis, located 
in a valley in the Organ Mountains. To reach 
it you take a steamboat at Rio, and after an 
hour’s ride you reach Maua, the terminus of 
the first railroad built in Brazil. The road is 
ten miles long, and takes you to the foot of 
the mountain, where coaches, drawn by six 
mules, carry you up to Petropolis, over a road 
that is not surpassed by any public highway. 
This road was built by the government for the 
Transportation of coffee, sugar, and minerals to 
the coast. The side of the mountain is so steep 
that three windings are compressed into a very 
small space. The surroundings and scenery are 
all that can be desired, and the climate is 
salubrious. Here the citizens retire in warm 
weather to be free from the heat, stench, 
and fever of the city. The town is garnished 
with villas and delightful gardens, and moun¬ 
tain streams run through the streets. Here 
the Emperor had his summer residence, to 


226 


By Boat and Rail, 


which he retired when the revolution occurred, 
which resulted in his abdication and the estab¬ 
lishment of the Republic. 

In this locality are some of the famous coffee 
plantations. The trees are not permitted to 
grow higher than twelve feet. The berry, when 
ready for harvesting, is about the size and color 
of a cranberry and contains two seeds. There 
are three gatherings in the year. The blossoms 
are white and exhale a delightful fragrance. 
But their beauty is short-lived, for the snowy 
flowers and odor last but for a day. 

Coffee is a native of Abyssinia, and was in¬ 
troduced from that country into Arabia, and 
thence into Java. The Dutch governor-gen¬ 
eral of the latter country, in 1690, took a plant 
to ■'Holland, where it was reared in a hot-house 
at The Hague. Some of these berries were 
sent to Surinam, and are the source of all the 
coffee in America. The first coffee-plant culti¬ 
vated in Brazil was in 1774 by a Franciscan 
monk. 

The transportation of the coffee to market is 
a business generally carried on by the natives. 
Each train, composed of thirty or forty mules, 
is arranged with the head of one mule tied to 

*5 


By Boat and Rail, 


227 


the tail of the one in front of him, and as the 
long procession winds down the mountain side, 
with bells tingling and the shouts of the 
drivers, it affords a novel and interesting 
sight. 

The stingless bees are one of the singular 
freaks of nature in this country. They make 
a sour honey, of which the natives are very 
fond. 


c 


CHAPTER XLI. 


I T was a blustering day in the month of 
March that we left New York on the 
steamer Trinidad for the Bermuda Islands. It 
requires about seventy hours to make the voy¬ 
age. It was a rough passage, and only six pas¬ 
sengers were at the breakfast-table the first 
morning out. The temperature of both the 
air and water increased as we travelled south¬ 
ward. North of the gulf stream the tempera¬ 
ture of the air was 56°, of the water 54°. In 
the stream the temperature was: air, 76°; 
water, 72° ; and at Bermuda, air, 68° ; water, 
72° ; the average temperature at the islands 
is 75°. 

Bermuda is about seven hundred miles south 
of New York, and six hundred miles directly 
east from Charleston, South Carolina, in lati¬ 
tude 32. The group is composed of 365 islands, 
only four of which are of any size. The largest, 
called Bermuda, is fifteen miles long by two, 
wide ; the next, St. George, is three and a half, 
228 


By Boat and Rail. 


229 


long and half a mile wide ; the other two, Ire¬ 
land and Somerset, are three miles long and 
less than half a mile wide. The others continue 
to decrease in size until they become merely 
coral rocks, standing up like points in the 
ocean. The population is about fourteen 
thousand, more than half of whom are blacks. 
There are two good hotels, the “ Princess,” at 
which we stopped, and the “ Hamilton.” The 
islands are divided into nine parishes, named 
after English noblemen. The entire group is 
of coral formation. The scenery is diversified 
and picturesque, and the country very hilly. 
As in all semi-tropical countries there is an ex¬ 
cessive growth of verdure and a great variety 
of trees, the most noticeable being the palm. 
There are ten or a dozen different kinds of 
palms on these islands, varying in size from 
the little palmetto to the royal palm which 
grows to the height of sixty or seventy feet 
before it has a limb, the trunk having the 
appearance of granite. The other trees are 
the avacado or alligator-pear, the curious 
calabash tree, the tallow-tree, the cocoa-nut, 
and the wild coffee. Of plants there is an 
immense variety. The products are onions 


230 


By Boat and Rail. 


and potatoes, thousands of tons of which are 
sent in the early spring to New York, for 
which good prices are obtained in the markets 
of the principal cities of the States. There are 
a few banana and other tropical fruit-trees, 
which are chiefly raised for home consumption. 
Another article of export is the Bermuda lily, 
so much admired by floriculturists. 

A large number of birds make these islands 
a casual resting-place in their migration north 
and south, and the islands are the eastern limit 
of their flight. 

In the list of birds may be mentioned the 
red-bird, bluebird, cat-bird, the sora, several 
varieties of warblers, humming-birds, and the 
English sparrow, which keeps pace with the 
spread of the English language. As the Ber¬ 
mudas are over six hundred miles from the 
nearest mainland, it is astonishing how such 
small birds as the ruby-throated humming-bird, 
indigo-bird, snow-bunting, vireos, bobolink, 
and the slow-flying rail bird can make such 
a long flight and locate these islands. Snakes 
and toads are total strangers, and, it is said, 
there is not one of these reptiles to be found 
on the entire group. 


By Boat and Rail, 


231 


The houses are built of a coral rock, sawed 
into square blocks. The roofs of the houses 
are of the same material, and constructed with 
a low parapet, so as to catch the rain-water. 
On the ground, large receiving tanks of stone 
are built, which are white-washed, being con¬ 
structed on a slight incline and connected with 
reservoirs. This care of rain-water is a neces¬ 
sity, as the wells are brackish. The white¬ 
washing is done to destroy any vegetable or 
fungus growth, which is constant and rapid, 
and renders the water impure. 

There are several caves on the islands, which 
add to its other attractions, glistening with 
stalagmites and stalactites. The principal is 
Walsingham, on the north side of Harrington 
Sound. Near this cave the poet Tom Moore 
resided, while he was registrar of the colony. 
On the southwest side of the same sound is 
Neptune’s Grotto. Another curiosity is the 
Devil’s Pond, which is full of fish, and only fed 
when strangers pay for the exhibition. The 
keeper threw in some dead fish while we were 
there, and those kept in the pond became so 
ravenous that they made the water boil as 
they tumbled and fought for the food. They 


232 By Boat and Rail. 

acted more like savage animals than fish. The 
keeper said that one day a small dog acciden¬ 
tally fell into the pond, and that was the end of 
his tail. 

The roads are as smooth as a floor, and in 
many places cut out of the hard, white rock:. 
There are over one hundred miles of this kind 
of road on these islands, free from dust, mud, 
and toll. There is an excellent yacht club, 
which often gives regattas. The Eagle’s Nest, 
three hundred and fifty feet high, is the loftiest 
point on the islands, from which all the islands 
are visible, and the view of the ocean is com¬ 
plete in every direction. 

The dockyards are located on Ireland. The 
floating dock, nearly four hundred feet long, 
was constructed in England, and towed over. 
It required two war vessels forty days to drag 
it across the Atlantic. 

There is a strong fort on St. George’s Island, 
which is garrisoned by an English regiment, 
and several British war vessels are always 
stationed here. 

After a week of sight-seeing on the islands, 
we took passage back to New York on a 
steamer loaded with potatoes and onions, of 


By Boat and Rail, 233 

which the latter made their presence known by 
their vigorous odor. 

The second night out we met with a terrific 
storm. The elements appeared to have com¬ 
bined to destroy us. The savage wind and 
lashing waves struck our ship with such force 
that it seemed as if they would crack her ribs 
and crush in her iron sides. The steamer 
rolled and plunged, and trembled from stem 
to stern like an aspen leaf. With the rattling 
of the hail, the reverberation of the thunder, 
and the pelting of the storm, the night was 
appalling. The quick lightning played upon 
the curling waves, and illuminated the dark and 
deep-blue valleys of the surging sea. But 
when morning came, and the sun showered 
her golden light upon the ocean, it sparkled as 
if sprinkled with gems— 

“ The air was calm, and on the level brine 
Sleek Panope with all her sisters play’d.” 


THE END. 



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